


I don't want to live in darkness

by danasy87, Sizna



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Brief Hinting of Suicide Attempt, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Cumplay, F/M, Fights, Friends to Lovers, Graphic Description, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mutilation, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Oral Sex, Pining, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Psychological Torture, Rimming, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Sacrifice, Suicidal Thoughts, Swordfighting, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-11 15:11:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11151006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danasy87/pseuds/danasy87, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sizna/pseuds/Sizna
Summary: I'll tell you a story about James and Steve, two angels, one black one white, who found each other at a young age. How they met and became friends. How they fought side by side and fell in love. How they had to face a cruel demon lord and had to deal with everything fate threw at them.





	I don't want to live in darkness

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank [Sizna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sizna) for her amazing artwork that inspired this story. I just saw her art and the story was almost writing itself. The idea behind it just caught me and did not let me go until I spilled out the whole story. 
> 
> I cant thank [dracusfyre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre) enough for being my Beta. She offered her help when I was in need and I bow to her gratefully for the work she has done! And I apologise to her for my lack of commas and line breaks.
> 
> A brief warning, don't take the tags to lightly. The described torture and  
> violence is graphic. The mentioned suicide attempt is because the person does see this as the only way to protect his beloved ones(not for mental reasons).
> 
> Now all I can do is wishing you fun along the way and happy reading.

**I don't want to live in darkness**

 

****

 

**Prologue**

So, you may think you know some things about angels. Stuff you have heard and read, maybe things you were taught or sometimes things you have seen in your dreams. You might have heard about Guardian Angels who protect people from harm, accompany them in difficult situations and who sometimes twist their fate into a brighter direction. You might have heard about Archangels, the heralds of heaven, that appear in bright lights and shining armor to bring wisdom upon mankind. But I think it is uncommon that you hear of Powers, celestial beings of great strength and even greater skill that range the upper skies and defend heaven, earth as well as the spirit realm from harm.  
They take their duty very seriously and bring shelter from great evil that has no right to roam either the world of the living or the safe havens that harbor spirits and souls. It is rare for daemonic forces to walk among the living and it’s even more limited for them to interfere with free souls, thanks to the Powers and their guarding work.

If it was not for them, chaos would reign and the world would be a sickening place that even death could not save you from. The dark forces are vast in their number and appear in various shapes and forms. Evil hordes are ruled by dark princes of hell who command their armies in search for the destruction of heaven.

Therefore it happened that a quite skilled group of Powers found themselves face to face with the most ruthless and the cruel demon prince Glasya-Labolas and his army in a war that shook every realm to its core. One says a greater, fiercer battle had not been seen as long as heaven existed. And it was one leading Power, who turned the war that stood on a knife’s edge, because his heart burned with fear for the sake of his beloved soulmates life.

The fate of this Power and his soulmate must be spread among the living, so I will tell you word by word and deed by deed what happened, since no mortal eye has witnessed this epic story of friendship, love and sacrifice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The young Power was flying through the clouds with hazardous speed. He was lithe and lissome and the smile on his face showed his utter joy. He dodged a group of elders and almost lost his balance, wings straining to recover his speed. The elders’ eyes turned quickly in his direction; some were shaking their heads, two or three pairs of eyebrows were shooting up closer to the hairlines of their owners and one even had to hide the corners of her mouth that were twitching with amusement.

But the young Power didn’t pay any attention to them and after stabilizing his body he sped up again, racing the shadow he made on the clouds beneath him. His white linen shirt fluttered around his thin torso and his bright blond hair gleamed in the sunshine. He headed further west, closer to the broad valley that was filled with cirrus clouds like a forest is with trees. They looked like fragile corals with arms varying in length and thickness.

The various types of clouds differ not just in size and shape but also in density. Clouds are made of tiny droplets of water and ice crystals, so mortal beings are not able to touch them. Powers can touch clouds when they wish by concentrating small amounts of energy on their fingertips or under their feet. By that they can walk on them and even shape them with their hands. Without the concentration of energy to their skin, Powers will sink right through the surface of any cloud, so if they wish they can go right through them.

The boy made a game of ducking and diving among the clouds that sometimes even ended in a happy somersault. One could easily see he enjoyed the way air was flittering through the tips of his bright white wings, since he took full advantage of the changes in the wind to determine the route of his flight. His goal was to get as close to the cirrus corals as possible, but touching them seemed forbidden;  he always stopped his movement moments before he could make contact with a cloudy stripe. He was so caught up in his game that he wasn’t aware of a pair of grey eyes that had been watching his every move for a while now. The viewer hid himself behind a bunch of cumulus clouds that had gathered like bushes here and there in between the cirrus corals. The blond boy slowed as he began to feel tired. It was then that his eye caught more than the clouds he was playing with and he saw a dark shadow crouching behind a cumulus bush. He stopped his race immediately as his blue eyes were fixed on the shadow that rested about twenty feet away.

His heart hammered in his chest from the exertion of his game and he was panting through open lips. He called over in between puffs of breath:

“You – can come out. – I know – you are there. – I – can see – your shadow!”

Nothing happened. His voice was unexpectedly deep for his slender frame and he had called loud enough to be heard but it was like he had not spoken at all: nothing happened. He waited several moments and then descended down to stand on his feet on the surface of the altostratus cloud that formed the valley. He walked as he would on solid soil and approached the shadow slowly. His step slowed down as the tip of a black wing appeared close to the ground when he raised his voice again:

“Now I can see - your wings as well!”

His breathing had calmed down a bit and he could hear a rustle behind the clouds. Suddenly his spectator decided to straighten himself, showing of a dark thatch of hair, night black wings and the provoking look of another boy. His arms were crossed. He was taller and sturdier than the white winged boy but they were actually almost the same age.

“So, what if you saw me? I’ve got nothin’ to hide!” He spoke while looking up and down his opposite.

“Then why were you hiding in the first place? – It’s not nice, you know? – Peeping at others while hiding yourself!” The blond Power stated, walking closer, while his breath was almost back to normal again.

“I was not peeping at you!” The dark winged boy paused, and continued almost too quiet to hear: “I was just looking, there is nothing wrong with that.” His ears were getting red and he looked to the ground.

“Then why were you hiding and spying on me?” The blond boy asked, but before the other boy could answer he stated, “I have never seen you around here, what’s your name, anyway?”

The black winged boy looked up with wary eyes and said, “That’s because I’m not from here. The name is James by the way.”

The blond boy let his eyes wander about the black linen shirt James wore and over the colorful crest stitched into the fabric right over his heart. It showed a white stag with impressive antlers. His own crest on his white shirt was stitched in the same place as James’ but it showed a Bobcat with big furry paws. Every Power had a crest on their shirt with an animal on it that symbolized their individual strengths. So despite the fact that the blond boy had never seen or heard of anyone with black wings, James had to be a Power too.

He extended his hand and stated: “Nice to meet you, James, I’m Stephaniel, but you can call me Steve.”

James hesitated and looked at Steve’s hand but then he blinked three times and let his hand slip into Steve’s for a proper handshake. “Nice to meet you too, Steve” he said and both boys smiled at each other.

They quickly found a liking in each other, talking about some of Steve’s riskier flying maneuvers. James gave him credit for his dodging abilities and told Steve about his own favorite trick which ended with a nosedive and a twisted backflip.

“You have to show me, how you do it!” Steve said, his voice full of playful excitement. “It sounds thrilling, and I wanna be able to do that one too!” He grabbed James hand and jumped, while spreading his wings and pulling at the dark haired boy’s wrist, trying to drag him up, up, up closer to the sun. James could only follow. He unfurled his ample black wings and both boys thrusted their wings through the air, gathering momentum on their way. Their bodies were built to fly; air was their element. The take off was always a little straining nonetheless, because their bones were sturdy and not lightweight like bird bones.

Steve stopped their soaring when they were high enough for his taste and he looked over at James expectantly and murmured, “Show me.”

James freed his hand of Steve’s grip and spread his arms. “As you wish.” He dropped backwards while pulling his wings close to his body and fell like a stone, but managed to give his body a twist, turning the fall into a spiral down. Moments before he touched the cloud they had stood on his wings spread catching most of his speed and he managed to land after another backflip with one knee on the half solid cloud. His arms were spread for balance and when he got up he started bowing to an imaginary audience.  
Steve had watched him in wonder and was very eager to try it himself. He spread his arms, like James had done it moments ago and let himself drop towards the cloud. The world turned upside down before his eyes and he raced downwards. But Steve was a brave boy, who wanted to prove his courage to James so it was important for him not to flare out his wings to early. He prepared for the landing but the turn of his outer feathers was a heartbeat to late. He reached his full wingspread but had not enough time for the backflip. He had still to much speed for the landing and so he tumbled right through the cloud next to James.

Steve was so occupied by stopping his fall that he fell through the wet bottom. Moments later he reappeared behind James and landed with a huffed breath, wet hair and a bright red sheen to his cheeks. James turned around and grinned broadly at the dripping Steve. He couldn’t help from commenting smugly, “Not as easy as it looks right, Stevie?” hooking both thumbs in the waistband of his linen pants.

Steve’s face started to burn in embarrassment but he was swift in his movements as he turned around and shook the water from his wings all over James.

“Not so confident anymore Mr. wet-face, are ya?” Steve commented, now grinning himself and jumping away.

James blinked the wetness from his eyes. A growled “Just you wait!” was Steve’s only warning before James was after him.

Steve made good use of his lead and disappeared behind a big cloud. James gaze darted around in search for his prey but he couldn’t spot him. Steve had dived back into the wet ground again. He grabbed James ankle with his cold hand and pulled with his full weight on James leg. James shrieked in surprise as he was pulled into the cold moisture. But Steve had a scare himself, as a hand grabbed blindly at his left wing so he could no longer hold his balance. The boys tumbled downwards as a tangle of limbs and feathers until James collected his wits and unfurled his wings. They landed on a lower level cloud and continued their friendly scuffle there. Hands grabbed shirts and skin as they tore at and stumbled over each other as their laughter echoed all over the place.

Out of breath they fell down on their backs side by side. Steve’s right wing rested atop of James left one as they relaxed in comfortable silence while the warm sunlight dried the wetness from their skin and clothes.

James was dozing off a little as Steve spoke: “So, if you are not from here, where are you from?”

James blinked a few times and tried to get his thoughts back in a straight line: “Uhmm, I came from the north. I travelled here because I got sick of my home.” he said.

Steve pushed himself up on his elbows and turned his head to the side facing James. “How come you got sick of it?” he asked curiously.

James sighed. He was not proud of abandoning his home but he had decided not to take their behavior anymore. He had come to the conclusion he’d rather be lonely than distrusted or rejected. So he had taken his leave and wandered around lonesome for a long time. That was, until he ended up with Steve that day. He sat upright and embraced his knees as he started his story.  “I guess you already saw my queerness?” He said, brushing a hand over his wing self-consciously.  “It’s not every day that you come across someone with raven wings. The eldest in my home said he had known about one other a long time ago who had betrayed all of heaven for he wanted to rule and longed for power. He deceived his friends and raised his swords against his own kin. It caused a great war among the Powers and he had led his fellows to perdition because they fell from grace and were banned to hell. His name had been Lucifer and if the elder in my home was right, I’m the first Power with black wings ever since."

“When I arrived there I was just gawked at. Everybody was afraid to touch me. They …” he paused as he gazed into the distance, like he was caught inside his own head. Steve looked at his face observing quietly until James started again softly, “… they didn’t even talk to me. They were scared, because of the black color. The elder said it was a bad omen and that I would be the cause of misfortune and could not be trusted. Raven wings show demonical influence, they said, for I would bring harm and malice among them. From then on it was awful. Everyone avoided me and they kept accusing me of things for no reason…”

Steve had listened carefully but as James continued a frown had appeared on Steve’s face, twisting his boyish features into something pretty mature and very dark. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as James had talked about the bad things everyone expected of him. After James finished there was a moment of silence again, this time full of tension.

James was afraid Steve would abandon him, like all the others had because of his odd wing color. Steve would certainly tell him now to take his leave and never come back again. He hated the loneliness without someone to talk or interact with, but feeling the rejection of the others face to face had hurt him more. But now that he met Steve he could feel how much he missed company and a rejection from Steve would hurt so much more than from the others. He had shown him kindness and he had not been repulsed by the raven wings when he saw them. He did not even comment on them. But Steve was still young, so maybe he had not heard about the meaning of black wings. James suddenly had an unpleasant feeling in his guts. Had he been too open towards Steve and told him too quickly about his situation? Suddenly he was very aware of the fact that the blond boy’s wing still touched his own. Their outer feathers were entwined like fingers and a light heat radiated from Steve’s skin underneath.

James loved to touch his wings. Nobody had even dared to touch him in the past, least of all his devilish wings, so he had taken pleasure in stroking his wings himself. It was a tingly feeling at first and sometimes it even made him shiver in a pleasant way. So whenever he felt especially lonely he sat down somewhere private and started petting his wings, threading his fingers through the soft and shiny feathers.

Meanwhile Steve’s frown had deepened, but he had not made a move to remove his wing or himself from their physical closeness yet. James had begun to fiddle with the hem of his linen shirt nervously while he looked at his bare feet. The heavy silence stretched on for a little longer and it felt like the calm before the storm. James braced himself as much as he could for Steve’s refusal, the hurtful things he would say.

Then Steve sat upright as well and his deep voice broke the silence, his tone angry. “But you didn’t do anything wrong,” he stated. “You were just born different! None of that is your fault and it is cruel of the others to treat you like an outcast. They should be ashamed to rate such fairytales higher than the wellbeing of one of their kind.” James needed a moment to understand what Steve was saying, then his mouth opened and closed again, speechless. Steve went on, his voice a lot calmer now. “I feel very sorry for how they treated you. I think you’re nice and don’t deserve to be shunned by the world in any way.”

Silence fell upon them once more until James had gathered his wits. “Thank you…..” James faltered a little “… I guess. No one took my side before. I think…” he hesitated again. “I think you’re nice, too.” He finished. His voice low and a little rough because he felt a lump forming in his throat and swallowed hard.

Steve felt goosebumps rise on his arms. He could clearly feel James distress. His tension was obvious in the way he held his neck. Steve extended his arm slowly towards James’s shoulder. James cringed as Steve’s finger made contact with the fabric of his long sleeve shirt, but his grip was gentle and he rubbed his thumb in small circles to calm James. Steve’s hand wandered from the shoulder to his neck and slid down along his spine. It was the caring behind that gesture that broke James’s dam and he turned to the side and slung his arms around Steve’s neck. Steve almost toppled over but caught his balance and returned the tight embrace stroking encouragingly up and down all over his back. His hands didn’t stop at the base of the black wings where they poked out of dark fabric and danced along the tiny feathers covering the joints. A contented sigh escaped James’s throat and he whimpered at the overwhelming feeling of contact with a fellow being. He felt so relieved that he started to tremble and his emotional distress eased out of him in a steady stream of tears.

Powers are very affectionate beings, who like to touch each other a lot. Among them it is seen as cruel to deny touch to others and it is often used as a punishment. So it is very understandable that James was overwhelmed by the feeling as he felt true affection for the first time since he was born.*

Steve felt his stomach clench. James had been touch deprived for so long and no one had acted with fondness towards him. It must have been a living hell. Steve neither minded the wetness at his collar where James head rested nor the slight hurt in his back from the strength of the desperate clinging James did. He had begun to mumble calming nonsense while stroking over fabric and feathers alike. None of them was able to say how long they actually sat there, holding each other. It took some time until the tears dried up, until the shaking stopped and the clinging became less urgent. But they stayed like this for a while even after James had calmed down, enjoying their closeness.

 

 

Steve was the first one to speak afterwards . “If you wanna come with me, you could stay at my place. I will start my fighting lessons soon, so you could take part in them too. If you’d like to, that is. I would like you to come though.”

James blinked. Not only had Steve touched and comforted him so easily, now he even offered James a place to stay. It sounded too good to be true. His insides filled with warmth but he was careful with his answer, still a little cautious. “Thanks Steve. I’d like that, but… are you sure? I mean I’m sure my raven wings will cause even you some trouble. They always do to me anyway.”

Steve’s answer was quick and certain: “I am sure that I want you to come. I don’t care what the others say, they’re telling me I’m to small to fight all the time, that’s stupid too. We’ll tell them to shut it and that’s it. Who says we should give a damn about what they say?” James slowly nodded.

And that is how it came that a skinny Power went home not alone as usual but with a black winged boy in tow. They lived together at Steve’s place, which was situated in a big towering cloud. Generations ago, Powers had formed caverns in this cloud and manipulated the clouds structure to live and sleep there.  

 

Steve could get quite unpleasant if he saw someone who got out of line or was bullying others. As a fully trained Power it would be his duty to protect ghosts, souls and humans alike from demons but for Steve guarding others was a personal quest he took by heart. He stepped up to guys twice his size and did not fear for his own safety.

James found that very disturbing. He was bigger and physically stronger than Steve so often enough he stepped in to back up his friend. That settled things nine times out of ten, for his wings still seemed to give everyone the creeps. But if that wasn’t enough, he had learned how to throw a punch pretty quickly should the need arise to emphasize Steve’s sense for justice.

Powers were trained for fighting from a young age. The fighting was considered as very important, because an attack from demons could happen at any given moment. Almost every grown up Power fought face to face against the demons and their army was always in need for skilled new recruits.

Steve and James were assigned to join the training academy not long after James had moved in. There were about 600 other raw recruits with them on their first day. They were tested for abilities they already had and separated in different classes according to their natural skills and then trained by experienced adult Powers.

Some like James were pretty good at flying, so he would focus on new flying techniques and learn about aerial combat. Others were gifted at controlling and using their inner forces. Steve was very swift and quick to visualize tactics and strategies. So Steve and James were assorted into different classes for individual training. James would also be trained in tactics, weaponry and other important disciplines as well as Steve would be trained in flying but the focus of their education would be on the improvement of their original talents. All classes alike would also train on hand to hand combat, creating weapons, fighting with them and working together in pairs and small teams.

Not long after the beginning of their training it became obvious that Steve had problems keeping up with the physical strength of the others. He was smaller and weaker than almost all the other recruits, regardless of their gender. At first he was often able to temper this disadvantage with fierceness, determination and endurance in training fights. Steve had repeatedly proven that he simply failed to quit. But as the other recruits became stronger, Steve’s struggles got harder until one time James couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Steve, I can no longer watch you fight,” he said one evening after Steve had a particularly rough day at class. Steve had been holding his ribs on the whole way as they walked home and every time he moved his upper body he got rigid for a second before he tensely continued his movements. Not to mention his split eyebrow and the enormous bruise on his jaw. “You take hit after hit and get beaten up just because you can’t find a proper opponent in your class to train with. There is no use if you are too sore from your fights every day to work on your strength after your daily training.”

Steve was aware of his problem too, but his pride hurt more than his bones after his regular defeat. Therefor his tone was a lot more sour and angry than he intended when he said, “So what? You’d rather have me quit training? I don’t want anyone to go easy on me!”

James raised his hands in a calming gesture. “No, o‘course not. But how about  you ask Natalja to spar with you in class and I could start training with you in the evening to build up your strength? I think she would help out. I have met her when she came to watch my aerial combat training. Well not mine exactly,” he mumbled. “There is this guy in my class, Samuel, I think she comes to watch him.”

James had started to ramble and did not recognize Steve’s wary look but the edge of doubt was clearly audible in his voice: “So you think Natalja will go easy on me? First I don’t want that and second she is the fiercest fighter I have seen so far and she takes on guys two and a half times bigger than her. She has a mean punch, if the limp of her opponents indicates anything.”

But James shook his head so vehemently that the hair on his forehead fluttered.  “No, Stevie, I don’t mean she’ll go easy on you! And I don’t think you need a sparring partner who’ll do that either. In fact I think she can teach you how to deal with opponents who’ll have an advantage in size and strength. And she is definitely not bulky but I saw some of her punches too and maybe she’ll show you how it’s done.”

James had a point. Steve knew that. He had only ever been kind to him and he never made fun of the things Steve was insecure about. He only wanted to help, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try. Steve had to take the chance or else he would probably not pass his training and he would not be allowed to fight against the demons in the end. As much as it hurt, he had to swallow his pride to achieve his goal because he wanted to fight, he wanted to protect the innocent, that was his duty and therefor he needed every help he could get.

Steve was lost in his thoughts when James poked him lightly in his sore side. Steve hissed and drew a sharp breath. “Alright, I’ll ask her,” he answered.

“That’s real swell Stevie, but I think first you should go and see Seeiah. I guess your side looks like a rainbow and you should let him have a look at ya. Maybe he can do something about it.”

Seeiah was an elderly loner who lived a little out of the way of the other Powers. James always called him Seeiah but most people called him Seeiah the Bruce or just Bruce. It is a name he had earned in a bloody encounter a long time ago when he had been young. It is told he had fought alongside his mate, who had been slain at Seeiah’s feet by one of the mightiest princes of the underworld: Glasya-Labolas himself. After Seeiah watched his beloved die, he fell into a blood frenzy in which he slaughtered dozens of Glasya-Labolas warriors until the evil forces retreated.

They say he could not be calmed down for two whole days. He fought brutally and with so much force that his opponents were found hacked to death all over the place, hence he was called the Bruce. When he came back to himself he saw the mayhem his frenzy had caused and horror befell him. He had severely wounded friends and foes alike so he swore to never fight again. He retreated from the others and preferred his seclusion to company. He dedicated the rest of his life to healing the wounded to make up for his damage. Folks came to him in need of help and he granted his aid to everyone who asked.

If Steve hadn’t had such a rough day he would have argued that it was just a scratch and it was nothing he would visit Seeiah for but he really was sore and experience told him it would be worse tomorrow. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to fight at all the next day so he took his chance and James accompanied him on his way. They even walked again in favor of Steve’s ribs.

When they arrived at Bruce’s home James announced them: “Seeiah? Are you there?”

“Just a second,” came the muffled answer. Seeiah appeared a moment later. He was tall but slim and his once brown hair was streaked with grey strands. He had a friendly face but he looked tired and he always seemed to emit a certain sadness. The Crest on his chest showed a big brown grizzly bear. “Stephaniel, James, what brings you here? Ahhh, never mind. Come on in boys, and please take off your shirt.” He said towards Steve. The blond boy was confused but did as he had been told.

“James here looks pretty healthy to me but your face shows you’ve been fighting and you’re holding yourself tightly. It’s obvious you’re in pain,” Seeiah commented when he saw Steve’s confusion. “Oh, you got yourself a nice collection of color there Stephaniel. I’d say you’ve overdone your training a little, haven’t you?” The corners of his mouth twitched a little in amusement.  “I have to palpate your ribs to be sure nothing is broken. I hope you don’t mind my cold hands, they tend to stay cold all the time these days.” Steve lightly shook his head. He winced as Bruce’s fingers pressed on his ribcage.

“Fortunately nothing is broken, but the bruising is pretty severe. I’d suggest you take a one day leave to give the tissue some time to heal. But I already know you won’t be happy about this,” Steve looked grim at this statement but Bruce did not let himself be deterred and kept on talking, “and I’m not sure young James here can make you stay at home tomorrow.” Steve’s look wandered to James, who was standing with his back to them while he looked at some jars on a shelf at the wall, with almost too much interest. “So I’ll give you a salve that will speed up the healing. Apply it generously on the bruising and don’t forget the ones on your back. If you can’t stay at home for tomorrow, at least go easy on your muscles and skip the flying for two days minimum. Otherwise the tissue could suffer serious damage and you don’t want to miss flying lessons for more than two days, don’t you?” He gave Steve a stern but honest look. Then his face softened as Steve mumbled, “No. No Seeiah I’ll be careful and won’t use my wings.” James still pretended to study the different jars and labels that were covered with tiny scribbles. But Steve knew he was listening to every word the Bruce said. He knew James would bother Steve into following the advice, there was no chance to escape it.

“You’d better listen to James, huh? And remember, no flying!” Seeiah shouted as they left, already lost in a friendly banter with each other. In Seeiah’s opinion, both boys had been lucky to find each other. Steve had needed someone who would look after him, because he had been so busy with protecting others that he had almost forgotten himself. James, on the other hand, had been in need of a friend. He orbited around Steve like he was his sun. The way they looked at each other said enough about what they meant to one another. Seeiah knew that look well. He had once looked at his lover the same way.

What the boys had now was probably still full of pure innocence, but the foreboding of their future was present like a faint whisper in the distance. They were still young but Seeiah was sure fate hadn’t brought them together by accident. Both boys were special in their own way and he would have bet a fortune that their futures would be tightly woven together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Natalja agreed although her face showed neither her approval nor any trace of wariness. At least she didn’t look patronizingly at Steve for his lithe shape. It turned out that their sparring was quite challenging for Steve. Natalja didn’t go easy on him and for that he was very glad. The other recruits made funny comments about him taking on the girl who has beaten everyone in their hand to hand combat lessons but they shut up after she glared them down. Steve was a fast learner and managed some of her punching and blocking techniques pretty quickly. In the evening he trained with James, who focused on building up Steve’s muscles. They started with body weight exercises and after a few weeks the progress became slightly visible. Steve’s breath lasted longer and he began with more strenuous exercises. The extra work started paying off.

Meanwhile James found out he was one of the best fliers in his class. He could repeat the shown exercises within a short time and his movements were agile while looking effortless. He had earned some respect for this, but his classmates were still avoiding him. Needless to say his instructor talked to him while she gave him hints but she never looked him in the eye while doing so. Only 2 people from his class had talked to him yet. There was Samuel who was the best flier in their class. James often did their paired exercises with him, for they were almost equal in their skill level. Samuel was hesitant at first but quickly changed into joking around with James. Samuels crest showed a Falcon in the middle of a swoop. And then there was Clinthiel who had a quarrel with James during the first week about who had the better aim when flying in the dark. After bickering for a whole week, they had ended up brawling on the floor. James came home with a swollen split lip and he had sent Clinthiel home with an ugly shiner. The next day had been a surprise for both of them. There wasn’t even one insult uttered between them during the whole day. They had truly ignored each other. From then on it was as if their fight hadn’t even happened. They treated the other with respect and sometimes they even sparred together.

The day came when they started training with weapons. Powers did not use weapons made of steel, wood nor any other solid matter. They formed weapons by using their inner force. They concentrated a high amount of energy in their hands and forced them outwards. If done right the weapons materialized as a bright, cold, white light in the shape chosen by their creator. Shields to block the attacks were created in the same way.

When the recruits tried it the first day, actually nothing happened, except for the occasional short sparkle. It was hard work, but Steve, determined as he was, wouldn’t stop trying. James was unnerved because even when he attempted to sleep, he saw flashes through his eyelids when Steve trained lying in bed. He knew why Steve did this. This task had nothing to do with physical strength. He had the same chances to manage it as everyone else. The ability to manifest energy reacted to training like a muscle. The more you triggered it, the stronger it became. So James got less sleep than he used to but he did not have the heart to complain, because he knew Steve would stop if he asked. He thought his sleepiness in the morning was a small sacrifice for helping his best friend.

The progress everyone made in weaponry was incredibly slow at first. And nobody except James expected Steve to be the first one of all recruits to manifest something real but Steve managed to create a real energy shield, not a flimsy flickering shape but a bright glowing round shield that actually withstood a blow from a teacher to test its solidity. James could easily tell that their teacher was highly surprised as he saw the shield and that seemed to go through the roof as it survived the attack before Steve let it vanish. James had learned the manifestation of a shield was more complicated than that of a weapon because you had to use more energy to create one. Shields were broader and yet had to be dense enough to prevent the weapon from cutting through. Because of this, using shields was more exhausting than creating weapons.

That evening they went home and they talked a lot about Steve’s success. Steve was very modest but the whole incident made him happy and James noticed the way it changed his best friend. He had a certain bounce in his step and when James glanced at him sideways he sensed a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach.

Steve almost doubled his efforts and soon managed to form the shield nearly every time he tried. He helped James by explaining his concentration technique and was able to help Natalja with it as well. Steve was very happy to help them and with Natalja it felt a little like repaying a debt but she wanted to hear nothing of that when he had told her. She had simply said something about friends helping each other out and left Steve actually a little speechless.

Not long after his advice came to fruition. Natalja created a long thin rapier like sword and James manifested long daggers first in one then in both hands. Clinthiel had asked James to help him after he saw this. James supported him but he took longer than the others. In the end, he created a bow of light he could shoot arrows with. As time passed by, they got better and better in creating weapons. Almost all recruits were able to start with fighting exercises with their weapons. Most students created swords in different forms. Some even preferred two handed weapons like longswords or various types of bows. Some of them used shields in their techniques alternating between attack and defense. Almost all Powers had a favorite weapon they used constantly. But Natalja and James took a liking in varying between types of weapons. You could never be sure what they wield when attacking you. It could be an axe, a spear, a club, a bow, or any kind of missile. Steve also favored a special weapon type. He always chose a sleek side-sword but unlike his fellows he wielded it together with his shield. It was more straining but had a huge advantage: he could block and attack at the same time. The teacher discouraged him to use both together because of the fast exhaustion that was inevitable but Steve was stubborn. So he threw caution to the wind and continued to practice his chosen style. He was pretty successful when he fought against James or Natalja because he was very versatile in reacting to their attacks blocking and attacking with sword and shield alike.  
James on the other hand was specializing in fighting out of flight. Attacking opponents from above and switching between ranged attack and close combat was a specialty of his.

All in all they had spent almost four years in the academy until they had mastered their skills. Steve had changed a lot during that time. He had grown in height and the extra training he did with James showed results. His physique had changed and he was not as small and thin as he had been. You could see he had muscles even if they were not defined yet. But he used his muscles well when sparring. Natalja was still ahead of him but he could fight others without looking like he would just get beaten up. He had had a mean punch when he was scrawny and his gained weight and fitness added to that transformed him into a serious opponent.

If you had asked James he would have told you he was happy. Happy for himself and the way his life turned out and happy for Steve and the progress he made. James was a little sorry for Steve and his need for a physical change. He had liked Steve’s slim build a lot from the very beginning. He thought the smaller size and slim body of his friend were very easy on the eyes. But he understood the reasons why his best friend wanted to change and respected his decision because he liked Steve and his convictions.

He really, really liked Steve. Steve had shown him kindness when all he experienced had been rejection and it felt like they had known each other forever. He did not only want to pay Steve back for his help and acceptance. Sometimes he almost got high on the fact that Steve liked him. He still felt touching was something unique and he loved it when Steve touched him, or he got to touch him in return.

Sometimes after their additional sparring they were both so exhausted that they fell down on their bed, limbs draped across the other as they calmed down from their exertion. After their heartbeats went back to a normal they cleaned off with clear rainwater and they began to freeze a little so they cuddled together, each boy warming the other.

In the evening, they would rest comfortably in what had quickly become their home and discuss what Steve had learned about special strategies. Sometimes during these discussions Steve would even pet his head, threading slender fingers through his hair. Other times it was James’s turn to give comfort.  Once, Steve suffered from severe muscle stiffness in his shoulder after he tried to block a kick from Natalja with his arm in a completely improvised twisting move. The pain in his shoulder had been intense, so James had massaged Steve repeatedly for a whole week until the pain had completely subsided. Steve paid him back by massaging James’s trapezius muscle and his big wing joint when he had been sore from flight training. He reveled in these moments that had been purely innocent in the past.

But for some time past he felt a pull on his insides when he and Steve were so physically close. He began waking up from dreams where he had seen Steve without his shirt, where warm breath tingled over his neck or where they were actually kissing. Sometimes he woke up hard and sweating and had to slip out of their bed to take care of his hard-on and calm down before he could continue his slumber. And even that was hardly an option if he saw Steve sleeping in the moonlight illuminated by that soft bluish glow. He never touched Steve in his sleep on purpose but he had also occasionally woken up with his face in silky white feathers and totally surrounded by Steve’s unique smell. After he came to himself he retreated and went out for a flight in the middle of the night to clear out his mind. It became difficult to maintain his attention in class when he got so much less sleep while he sat there with dark rings under his eyes. He thought a lot about telling Steve but he was too afraid that it would burden their friendship. He wanted Steve to be carefree with him and he feared Steve would put a distance between them if he did not feel the same way. So he buried his longing as best as he could and tried to be the friend Steve deserved. He still snuck away at night to take care of himself should he awake but he managed to hide it from his best friend. It was more difficult to hide it when they were sparring or huddled together like they were used to but James was always careful to not be found out. It was far from easy but he managed.

He even survived Steve putting on more weight and height until he was in fact an inch bigger than James himself. Steve’s chest was wider and his upper body muscles had adjusted to his higher weight. Flying needed a lot of work from a body, especially if you had a solid bone structure and did tricks all the time while flying. He even beat James in strength now. When they quarreled and Steve got a good grip on him, James was lost. He had to make up for it by either thinking one step ahead or fighting dirty.

James, Steve and their classmates were destined to be part of the host’s phalanx which was divided into several legions. The day came when a Power with a gold-rimmed Shirt and a crest with a grey wolf on it showed up one morning. He had a friendly face and seemed to have a small but constant smile on his lips when he introduced himself as Phileas and said he wished to watch them in their classes for a week. He said he would love to see everyone showing the best of their abilities and that he would honor the ones among them who came out on top. The week was pretty tough because everyone wanted to show what they were capable of.

Right before the last day Steve and James walked home side by side when Steve told his friend about a rumor he had heard from Natalja. Phileas would pick out the best of them to form an elite team which operated separately from the other phalanxes. This rumor bothered James a lot. He was totally sure Steve would be chosen. And that would mean he would leave and train with other Powers and do important planning. James had no hope that he would be considered as a candidate because the members of such an elite group were needed to be trustworthy, and no one apart from Steve trusted him. He felt accepted by Samuel, Natalja and Clinthiel, whom he had started to refer to as Clint but he was just tolerated by his other classmates. He wore his stigma for everyone to see and acceptance was definitely not the same as trust. So who would like to rely on the embodiment of black treachery? And in such an important position? No, James would not dream about being chosen himself. But that meant Steve would leave and they would not fight side by side. Probably Steve would even leave their home and that thought really scared him. He was used to the ever-present subtle ache in his heart but the possibility of losing Steve stung for real. Who would take care of Steve if he weren’t there? His best friend tended to overdo things and if James would not be there to look after him … he cringed at that thought.

James was distracted by his own mind when Steve grabbed his hand and said in a playful tone: ”Come on James, I know you’re as nervous as I am for tomorrow, let’s fly a bit, maybe we’ll be able to catch some sleep tonight if we’re tired enough.” James let himself be pulled upwards when Steve soared into the orange colored light the dusk had painted over the clouds. Steve grinned at his best friend as he spread his own wings. He let go of James hand and before his friend saw the glint in his eyes he tapped him on the chest with his finger and breathed: “You’re it!” before ducking down and speeding up.

James reacted automatically and took up the chase. It was wild and the clouds flew by as blurry shapes. James was the better flyer but Steve had his fair share of tricks up his sleeve. Their endurance had been built by years and years of training so when the sun had set completely they had changed back and forth between chaser and victim several times and were not worn out yet. They continued their game in the moonlight for another hour before they collapsed in a heap on a fluffy looking cumulus cloud, both panting heavily. They rolled to their backs, wings entangled and gazed up to the stars and James suddenly felt a pull in his soul. His thoughts went back to the fortunate day he’d met Steve. Back then they had lain there too when he had opened up towards someone for the first time. This was his happiest and most precious memory.

Steve was humming a tune while James was lost in his thoughts. That was until he suddenly went quiet and his voice was just a whisper as he turned his head to look at James: “You know where we are don’t you? I almost did not recognize this place.” James blinked as the words sunk in. Steve was totally right, they were at the same valley they had met each other years ago. James turned his head towards Steve and their eyes met. He thought about the next day and how it would change their lives. He thought about the day he fell for Steve. And he thought about how beautifully the stars reflected in Steve’s eyes. James felt a pull behind his navel as his eyes darted to Steve’s lips. His longing surfaced as he saw a pink tongue darting out and wetting soft lips. His movement started without hesitation as he turned to the side and leaned towards Steve but it was slow, so slow. The fingertips of his right hand touched his cheek and Steve neither flinched nor made a move to pull away. And then their lips touched, soft and warm. James pressed his lips a little further and when he felt Steve pressing back he remembered how to breathe again. He pulled back and pressed in again and his heart skipped a beat when Steve’s tongue slid over his lower lip. James‘s lips parted their tongues touched softly and he was lost. Steve sighed. Their lips separated from another just to meet anew. James got bolder and slid his tongue deeper into his best friend’s mouth. A smooth glide back and forth again and again almost like a dance.

 James moaned as he felt a hand on his shoulder gliding along his side towards his hip. Half drawn by Steve he glided towards the others warm body. James’s brain hadn’t comprehended completely what was happening but he truly didn’t care when he felt a warm hardness at his leg. Steve was hard for him and it felt incredible. His own sex pressed against Steve and he moaned again, deeper and louder than the first time. “Stevie” was all he could say before his lips were captured again. James’s right wing had been freed when he turned to his side to press against Steve and now the wing covered Steve protectively while his hips began to move tilting back and forth. Steve’s hand pulled him in to tighten the pressure between them while he moved his pelvis in sync. James gasped “Stevie” and arched his back. He slid his lips over Steve’s neck and sucked at his pulse point.

Steve shuddered and breathed “James” against his skin his voice deeper than usual. They clung to each other and reveled in sensation. Their mouths connected again as their rhythm became faster and erratic. They shared breath and swallowed down the moans of the other. Not long and James shuddered as he released against the fabric of his pants while panting Steve’s name over and over again. Steve’s hips jerked one – two – three times and he tumbled over the top as well. They calmed their breaths while kissing lazily.

“God, Stevie. Please tell me I’m not dreaming again.”

Steve chuckled and stroked James cheek with his hand. “I don’t think you’re dreaming, but I guess I am.”

James smiled and rubbed their noses together softly. “You’re dreamin about me Stevie?” he teased.

Steve rolled his eyes. “As if you haven’t given yourself away eh?”

James bit at Steve’s lips playfully. “Shaddup, you .” His insides felt fuzzy but it was getting late and therefor the temperature had dropped to an unpleasant point. The breeze was quite cold and they were both sticky with their come so they made their way home in contented silence but always touching somehow. James heart was overflowing but his fear loomed on the edges. The things they had shared had been wonderful but the morning would still change everything. An anxious feeling wound itself around his core and everything inside him felt very constricted. When they lay down Steve curled around him from behind, resting comfortably between his dark wings while covering James with his own white ones. Soon Steve started twitching while gliding into a deep slumber. James felt his big hand warm on his abdomen and he would have been totally content and happy had he not been wound up in his carousel of negative thoughts. He finally drifted off sometime in the early morning hours.

 

When Steve woke up the first light of dawn shimmered over the clouds and he was halfway draped over his best friend. But as the events of last night dawned on him he realized that their relationship was not that of mere friends anymore. They had kissed and grinded each other to completion and it had felt wonderful.

He smiled over James’s sleeping body.  Somehow it had dawned to him not long after their first encounter that he had fallen for James. He loved the way they were affectionate with each other. It made him so happy to see James smile after he had been so hesitant that every other feeling faded to grey. He could only imagine how the rejection he received must have been for James; that train of thought made his heart ache.

The problem was, he thought himself to be disgusting. He felt so weak when compared to others and his fellow Powers made sure that he was aware of that fact. They teased him, not in a cruel manner but it was enough to remind him of his shortcoming. He’d had hardly any love for himself. But somehow James had changed that. He had always looked at Steve as if he were capable of saving the whole world. Steve had been a fighter from the very beginning but James support had spurred him on further. It made him believe he could gain strength, he could fight like everyone else and his determination had become more solid. Throughout the years he had gained more confidence but he had fallen more and more for the steel-grey eyes of his best friend as well. But he had never acted on this feeling. He didn’t want to burden their friendship and it never occurred to him James could want him too. The moment he had kissed him changed everything, though. His dam broke the moment his brain recognized James intention and all hope for him to keep up his façade was lost.

Steve shifted a little closer towards James, cherishing the shared warmth between their bodies. Soon Phileas would claim his special recruits and Steve was certain James would be among them. He was such a skilled flyer and Steve had always admired him fort that. And after he mastered his weapons he had also become very dangerous. He would be a fierce opponent for every hostile attacker. Steve would be very happy to see James achieve a rank in an elite unit. In Steve’s opinion he deserved it before all others, for his struggle in society and his brave heart. He looked forward to the ceremony that was about to come.

James woke by a sucking sensation on his collarbone. It was not an unpleasant feeling; he was warm, cozy and content. He drifted towards consciousness slowly and when he realized that the source of the suction was tightly pressed against him and drew circles on his middle with a soft warm hand. Every now and then a finger stroked over his bellybutton and played with the dark trail of hair leading downwards suggesting dirty ideas. He hummed in contentment. His hand found straw-colored hair as he traveled upwards Steve’s neck to comb through the soft strands and scratch lightly over his scalp. James felt him shudder and he hissed himself as the sucking turned to nibbling. Meanwhile Steve’s brave fingers had sneaked further down and had already passed the waistband of his linen pants. Soft fingertips flirted with the base of his cock.

James felt his breath leaving his lungs when he realized what Steve intended. He wanted to feel Steve, all of him, with his hands and his body. James turned his head and searched for eager lips as the fingers continued to explore, now bold enough to brush over silky skin and feeling the hardness underneath. Steve’s lips found his and they immediately opened their mouths to glide their tongues together. When James felt his cock being surrounded by Steve’s long fingers, he twitched his hip and Steve started some lazy strokes. James felt very good, but he wanted to feel more of Steve than the pressing of his cock against his leg. He began shifting them both, careful of their wings until he rested above his best friend, who found himself on his back. James slipped a hand underneath his buttocks and pulled Steve’s pants down. His own followed and then he pressed their bodies flush together. He ground his pelvis down and let their erections rub together.

Steve’s mouth went slack at that sensation. James hand slid around the both of them and stroked both cocks in a steady rhythm. Steve began murmuring James name over and over, twitching his hips to spur James on. James was close and he bent down to steal a series of deep kisses. He reached his peak when Steve moaned his name against his lips and coated them both with his warm seed. “Oh Stevie” were his first words when he adjusted his grip so he could throw Steve over his very own edge. His hand was slippery with his own release and that seemed to do it for Steve, for his breath stuttered and he moaned out his climax. His hand was sticky as he let go of Steve and pulled up his hand to admire their mixed juices. He gave his fingers a tentative lick and continued his tasting until his hand was clean, shining with saliva. Steve’s eyes had become big during his display and he felt Steve’s hands on his neck as he was pulled into a heated kiss. Steve seemed to chase after the taste in James mouth, moaning loudly. They kissed until the sun had risen completely and shared their body heat until it was time to prepare for the important day.

 

The Powers among them were obviously very nervous. Everyone seemed uneasy and began to murmur when they watched Phileas who stepped in front of them and prepared to take the floor. “Dear fellow Powers,” Phileas said. “I want to thank you for having me. I feel deeply honored that you all have been willing to show me what you are capable of. I am sure you will all do exceptionally well in your upcoming task in battle and I do not feel uneasy at all thinking about the future, for I know you are willing to stand your ground.” Phileas paused and James felt Steve’s hand brushed his and then sneaked around it to entwine their fingers. His uneasiness faltered and his heartbeat settled a little when their visitor continued. “I have watched all of you but sadly I can only nominate a handful. They will accompany me for further specialized training, while the rest of you will continue your education here. The first One I nominate is Samuel for his excellent flying ability.”

A whisper accompanied Samuel as he walked to the front towards Phileas. James heart sank. He too was a very talented flyer, and the teachers had always ranked him as second best right after Samuel. But it was clear, Phileas wanted the best for his elite unit, not some kind of second place backup.

The next one chosen was Clinthiel for his exceptional aim. James was not bad at that either but again, who needed a bad copy of an original talent. Then came Natalja. She had proven that she fiercely stood her ground against any opponent. James was very happy for her. She deserved it so much for she was the best fighter he had faced during his entire education. At the same time he felt a sad sting. He liked Natalja a lot. They had sparred very often and he would miss her dearly. But that thought lead down a slippery road. He would not just lose her but Steve as well. Right after they had discovered this new part of each other. His skin started to prickle as goosebumps appeared on his arms. Phileas would take his Stevie away. The grip of his fingers tightened involuntarily. Steve sensed his distress and moved closer to give his best friend some comfort.

When Phileas spoke again he announced the fourth candidate and James held his breath: “The next chosen one has proven to be strong but not only in body but more importantly in mind. He showed great talent in controlling his inner energy and made great use of this ability. I am deeply impressed by his fighting technique and I look forward on how he will develop it further. Therefore I nominate Stephaniel.”

James world shattered. Suddenly he felt cold like he was caught in a rainstorm. The sound of his cheering classmates around him was muffled to something like white noise. He saw how Steve turned towards him and how his lips moved but he could not hear a thing he said. He saw Steve walk to the front with a red hue to his cheeks. He saw how Phileas greeted him and how the three others welcomed him by hugging. As James came back to himself slowly he felt that his lips were wet. Steve must have kissed him before he had walked to the front. His stomach clenched and his mouth began tasting like bile as he watched Steve walk away.

He hadn’t even told Steve how he felt. But what good could come from it now, after it was clear they would go their separate ways from now on. He dwelled on his dark thoughts and was so stuck in his own head that he did not hear what Phileas announced next.  “I’ve chosen another candidate who has been through a hard time but showed to all of us that he was not willing to give up. He combines excellent skills in flying with a good hand to hand combat technique and is very versatile in weaponry. James, would you come up here please.”

The crowd cheered again and because James had obviously no intention to move, the others had taken over and shoved him towards the front. He began walking automatically his face still frozen in shock. When he arrived he was pulled in a crushing embrace by Steve. The others hugged him as well. He calmly asked in a low voice, “Can you please explain to me what just happened?”

This is how James ended up alongside Steve. Phileas introduced them to another team member called Anthony who was a genius in shaping clouds and energy.  If a Power put high pressure on a cloud, the mist turns into water, the water into ice and if more pressure is applied the ice compresses into a solid material, similar to ivory. Everything solid they used consisted of this cloud ivory and Anthony was a true master in this. His modulations were very precise and he was even able to control the exact density of the item he shaped. He could influence clouds themselves and rearrange their structure as well as he could make them rock solid without compressing them. After they met him Phileas announced that their little elite group would be called Vindiciare. The name originated from the name of Vindiciel who fell protecting the gates of heaven for hours against Lucifer when he attacked for the first time after he had fallen from grace.

They spend a long time training together as well as learning how to command and lead single and more legions. They studied old battles and learned the reasons for victory and defeat as the years went by. James and Steve still shared a cavern but spend the evenings with their fellow Vindiciare and the nights wrapped up in each others embrace. James could not believe his luck. Everyday that passed by James began to think of their future together and started to believe they shared a destiny. But one day fate looked away as catastrophe descended upon them and heaven alike.

And everything tore apart…  
  


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The great Count of hell Glasya-Labolas himself had come to know about the Vindiciare. He had used several spies and he knew how big a threat they could be from the moment he heard about them. So he started planning a secret attack to use the moment of surprise for his advantage. The count was very old even for demonic measures and he loved to find the weaknesses in his opponents to use against them. He cherished to see his enemies under torture and in desperate pain, but his favorite thing was to mess with peoples heads because fear originates from the mind. His second favorite was knowledge. The source and reason of things and the search therefor thrilled him.

Glasya-Labolas was a fearsome creature. He often took the guise of a giant dog with knife sharp teeth and a foul toxic breath. In his animal shape he had massive gryphon-wings. But often enough he appeared in a manlike form and then his stature was that of a tall and strong man with skin of blazing red, wet like someone had skinned him alive. His head was just a fiery skull that looked like it was strung tightly with wet and slimy scarlet leather. He wielded a huge red two-handed sword and he was known to walk among his legions and slaughter foes himself or to catch some for later dissection.

Glasya-Labolas had not only heard of the Vindiciare but had also gotten some distinctive facts about their members. He had a very special interest in James, for he saw parallels between this boy and his great Prince Lucifer. His own King has been the first angel ever to be gifted with raven wings. Back then, they had been regarded as blessing by the other angel scum. They had indeed been a blessing for they had made his King see clearly that his former purpose was quite meaningless. The raven wings had brought him the seed of selfishness and the greed for power. And now almost a millennium after the birth of his master a second angel with black wings appeared. That almost sounded too good to be true.

Glasya-Labolas was very powerful among the noble counts of hell. He commanded 36 legions of demons but he was avid for more power. He secretly dreamed about becoming a hellish prince himself one day if he found a way to increase his status. And that little raven winged bastard could be right what he needed he thought. He longed to know the reason behind the wing-color and then he could find out what had caused Lucifer to rise to his position, and perhaps gain that power for himself!

He would leave that task to his prized underling Ose. This demon took either the form of a deformed jaguar or appeared as a small manlike figure that carried around different blades. Ose was crazy about the hunt for the origin of things and his cruel nature quivered with joy when he was allowed to cut someone up. He loved digging in riddles as well as in flesh and sometimes he left a little gift in the form of lunacy in the heads of his victims. The thought of leaving the caught Power to Ose excited him. That would be the perfect fit for his minion.

The very best thing in his plans came to him as his spies told him the chosen leader of the Vindiciare had a special interest in the black winged bird boy. If he could catch the little raven he could use him as bait and he was sure something like this would distract their damned leader. If he did it right, he could use his power to throw him in despair and that would be a great advantage in the upcoming battle. He’d be killing two birds with one stone. At that thought his long snout distorted into a gruesome grimace as he bared his teeth in a true perversion of a smile…

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It was a very bright day when the alert came. Steve had been awoken that morning by James who had taken position between his legs and occupied his mouth in a very sinful way. After shuddering to his release, Steve had loved to reciprocate and he had been determined to make James forget coherent speech. He took James apart with deft fingers and tongue until he had reached his peak in a little concert of moans and sounds that could have been Steve’s name. Afterwards they cuddled close to one another, shared slow kisses and reveled in post orgasmic haze before  they had to get up for the day.

Midway through the morning the Vindiciare were holding a gathering to discuss plans on how to quickly adjust to new situations on the battlefield while commanding bigger troops when the deep and loud sound of a bugle ripped through their conversation. They sat there frozen and changed confused looks for a moment until the realization cut in: the roaring sound called them to arms.

They had trained this situation often enough to react automatically breaking up the meeting and gathering their troops around them but it felt different when it was no practice alarm. It was actually the first serious attack in several years and most of the Vindiciare had not needed to face a true battle in the past. Everyone had been prepared for a moment exactly like this but it was nonetheless different from any former situation.

James, Samuel, Clinthiel and Natalja were trained to lead smaller special attack forces while Anthony commanded a division charged with the task of changing their environment to their advantage. Steve was to lead a bigger division into battle as well as command the other Vindiciare when they were needed in an exact spot for a bigger change in troop constellation. As soon as they stepped out into the open they saw the weather was changing. There were banked up clouds and the winds were getting up. Black shadows came closer towards them and Clinthiel was the first to recognize the shadows as the hostile vanguard. He called out loud and James and Samuel were quickly in the air with their divisions while Natalja’s squadron submerged into the clouds to prepare surprise attacks.

Steve formed his sword and his shield and led his troops towards the approaching demons. It was a small shock to really storm forward and see the enemy. They all knew what demons looked like for they had seen many sculptures of them but to have life size specimen running towards oneself, roaring in beastly manners and flashing their teeth and blades was something different.

The demons varied in size and shape but most of them had knife sharp claws, leathery wings and pointed horns sometimes twisted and curled sometimes straight and spiky. Most of the horde fought with claws and long blades attached to their arms, legs and wings but some wielded iron swords and axes. Lightning accompanied the attack and the first drops of rain were hitting Steve’s shield as he formed a straight line of defense. When the first demons started to strike on the frontline of Powers they collided with the shields and raised spears and it seemed they had no impact at all. But when the main mob had outrun the first few demons and they hit the line of defense the whole scene was accompanied with loud thunder from above. Steve’s frontline wavered under the sheer force of the demon’s advance. It seemed like it had been a big failure to let the enemy in that close when suddenly Steve let out a loud whistle that echoed into the sky. A spectator of the scenery might have forgotten Samuels and James’s divisions in the heat of the first clash but Steve knew exactly what he was doing.

The demons screamed in surprise as the first fell from an attack from above. Glowing weapons had pierced their bodies as James’s division barreled down towards them. Clinthiel’s forces attacked from the left flank shooting arrows at the demons who had separated from the horde and started to fly towards Steve’s warriors, plucking them from the sky. The members of Natalja’s squadron appeared and disappeared behind clouds all over the battlefield and every time one of them vanished for cover they had at least taken one life. Anthony’s task was to confuse the attackers by creating solid walls among the clouds randomly or the demons who tried to run or fly through them would face unexpected problems. His group changed the density of the floor as well so some invisible holes appeared who swallowed the demons who stepped into them only to keep them trapped inside the clouds. Meanwhile Samuel’s division dealt with the demons who flew towards the right flank and they fought them in midair, attacking from beneath and above.

The Powers led an army in this battle of some 25,000 troops. The whole army was a lot bigger but the attack was such a surprise that the alarm had not reached yet all parts of heaven.  Steve’s forces were actually outnumbered by the demons by about 10,000 warriors. The battle took place on several levels and it was hard to keep track of the things happening all at once. The sounds that rolled through heaven were overwhelmingly loud: clashing weapons, battle cries from the attacking demons and the Powers who answered them, and the screams of the wounded combined with the loud thunder into a terrific cacophony. The heavy black clouds were pregnant with rain and soon they would throw down their load among the fighting warriors. Mist arose and it became harder for the forced to stay together. The demons had taken on the strategy to separate smaller groups from the main frontline to play out their advantage to full degree. James aided the troops who were endangered by that method as best as he could with his squadron. He tried to keep an eye on Steve but in the heat of the battle he was occupied with commanding his men and women, aiding the cornered troops from above, and defending himself against some long distance attacks that were aimed at him.

The Powers worked together like they had always trained and many of the demons were no match for their refined fighting styles, but the sheer number of the demons was an unconsidered variable. The most skilled warrior is defeated by a vast number of enemies for they only have two hands and a limited amount of stamina. It seemed like the demons concentrated on the Vindiciare and their troops because they attacked the leading divisions with fierceness. James suspected they hoped to kill of some of the commanders to demoralize the warriors and doom them to leaderless chaos.

Steve whirled through the demons cutting down an uncountable number of enemies with his shield on his left and slashing with his sword on his right hand but he also seemed to tire like the other warriors around him. And if one tires it is unfortunately more likely to make mistakes. Steve notices his failure a heartbeat too late. He had let himself been lured too far away from his warriors and was now totally surrounded by demons. They had successfully separated the leader from his troops, an unforgiveable mistake in active battle! The horde surged around Steve but he was not about to give up. He tried to compensate his disadvantage with speed and movement when he started to spin around constantly but he drifted further away from his own allies.

It was sheer luck that James spotted Steve in his distress. He stilled in shock and the long daggers he held in both hands vanished as he recognized how Steve was in a scrape. He felt his heart clench. In the space of a heartbeat he threw caution to the wind and abandoned his squadron, letting himself fall down towards his love, gaining momentum with his wings. He had an excellent aim but he knew if he had tried to take down Steve’s opponents by thrown weapons or arrows it would not have been enough. Steve was mightily outnumbered and he could only take down a certain amount of demons with a ranged attack and he would reveal his surprise advantage too early. He had to reach Steve before it was too late. Seconds before he reached his goal he formed a curved sword in each hand as he dove down behind Steve to get his back. Even before he landed he had struck off two heads and pierced one attacker through his heart. Steve himself must have sensed him somehow because not only did he stop in his twisting motions but as well adjusted to his new position quickly. They fought back to back, slowly, oh so slowly, moving back in the direction James knew the front line to be. The front line seemed to reach out for their commander because some fighters had managed a foray in their direction. When they finally reached their own force they both had taken their fair share of wounds.

James dared to take a look upwards where he had left his own division to see how they had managed on their own he moaned in horror as he saw them cornered and split apart by their enemies. The realization hit him hard that this was his fault. No commanding officer leaves his troops behind… a felony in war.

He needed to get back to his division and was so caught up in that thought that he didn’t recognize that he had been separated from the frontline once again, this time alone. He was now facing a big demon who did not hesitate to use James moment of unawareness for his attack. James raised his sword not in a planned but in a totally instinctual move and when the blade hit his curved sword the edged of his weapon flickered. The next strike came and the sword in his right hand disappeared. He tried to quickly regain his wits and countered the next attack with his left sword.

But it was too late. Three more demons had reinforced the first to attack him all at once. He was panting from exhaustion after his rescue mission for Steve, but he quickly reformed one of his favorite daggers in his right hand. He blocked the first two strikes that came at him and cut down one of his attackers in a counter move but the three remaining warriors surrounded him.  One attacked from the front, one from his back and the biggest demon from his side. James parried two attacks and was prepared for the third but he had not anticipated that the big demon could wield a second weapon.

The long iron blade was sharp as it cut through his flesh. The blow came with such great force that it slid through sinews and bone easily. Blood roared in his ears so it blocked out the sound of battle around him. If it were not for the noise all around one could have heard two muffled thuds when James left arm as well as his left wing landed on the ground no longer attached to his body. His head turned left in disbelief when he looked for the damage the blow had caused but he could not see where his arm had been hit. His brain had not caught up to what had happened yet. He saw blood flowing to the ground still wondering where it came from. A red pulsing stream colored the clouds where he stood. The first sound he heard over his own heartbeat was Steve’s voice that screamed his name. He turned into the direction of Steve’s voice and when he saw him he was confused by the look of utter horror on Steve’s face. He had not seen a wound, so why was Steve so upset?

That was the moment the clouds could no longer withhold their wet contents and cold rain started pouring down.

 

 

Steve screamed James name from the top of his lungs. He had been in desperate straits himself when he had to witness from afar how James had been first separated and then surrounded. To watch the fatal blow had made his lungs constrict as his breath left him. The hot sweat on his body turned ice cold from one second to another. His arms and neck were covered in goosebumps that had nothing to do with temperature. His eyes became watery but refused to shed tears yet. When he had found his air again the scream had broken free. The movements of his sword changed from his carefully developed fighting style to nothing more than hacking and slaying at everything within reach of his blade as he desperately tried to get to his soulmate, but he stood no chance against the wall of demons that had thrown themselves between both angels. Steve could not even fly towards James for he could not gain a break long enough to lift off. Anthony’s solidification of the ground prevented them from unwanted attacks below their feet but now it was also impossible for Steve do let himself drop through to a lover level to reach James this way. He was caught and Steve had to witness from afar again what was about to happen.

The big demon who had cut off James arm and wing approached James, who stared up towards his own squadron again. Steve saw how James seemed to attempt to fly towards them but with just one wing and his severe wounds his effort was fruitless. The stump of his left wing moved desperately but his feet did not even leave the ground. It was a horrible thing to watch. Steve longed to get to James to cradle him and get him somewhere safe. He could see how red the clouds had become from James blood and his heart clenched at that thought.

The demon drew close and raised his hand towards James throat. James flinched when the clawed hand pressed down on his windpipe. Steve roared and wielded his sword even faster than before. Leading the army seemed forgotten. But it was hopeless. James’s remaining hand shot up and gripped at the clenching claw. The demon lifted him with an outflung arm. Then the demon looked at Steve. Blue eyes met red ones and the demon flashed his teeth at him in a cruel grin. A heartbeat later there was an explosion of darkness around the demon and his prey and they were gone.

Steve screamed again and he would have gone on with his berserk fighting had not Natalja appeared above him and shouted at him that their troops needed their leader desperately. Steve looked around through watery eyes and saw the severity of their situation. The frontline was almost split in half. Natalja was right, he needed to do something. He took a deep, shaky breath and called out to his warriors to stand closer together. He managed to regroup them slowly and they were even able to push the demons backwards.

It was then that the sound of a horn resonated through the air. Steve did not recognize it as a horn sound at first because it screeched like an animal. But it looked like it was a demonic signal because the demons retreated and started disappearing in Blackness, just as James had.

Steve’s shield and sword disappeared when he started running towards the place he had seen his love last. James was still gone, nothing left behind except for his severed arm and wing. Steve fell to his knees and cradled both appendages in his arms, his cheeks now wet with tears. He rocked back and forth slowly while kissing the still warm hand while his face rested against soft black feathers.

The remaining Vindiciare had gathered in a respectful distance whispering their conversation. Steve stayed like that for a long time. He was smeared in blood from the body parts of his lost lover and the splatters that had hit him during the fight. James hand had long become cold when Natalja tried to get his attention by clearing her throat softly. “Stephaniel…” she started, but stopped when she saw his ashen face. She came closer, knelt down next to him and hugged him dearly. Her wings extended and she cocooned them both, shielding away the outside world. “Oh Steve!” she whispered.

Samuel came closer as well and he started to break the silence. “I think he is alive.” He raised his hand in which he held the signed shafts of 3 black feathers. Natalja blinked and Steve winced when he saw them. Samuel continued with a calm voice “They appeared suddenly in midair. Maybe … maybe it’s a message for us?”

“If they wanted to kill him, they could have done it here. There was no need to take him alive unless they want something from him, or from us that is,” Anthony mused.  “So it’s likely he will be alive for some more time I’d say.” Steve’s head shot up as he heard them discuss James. Samuel and Anthony had gone on to debate the possible reason behind the abduction.

“Natalja, he…”She tightened her embrace when Steve whispered almost inaudibly, “I have to get him. It’s my fault. Had I watched out… He only came to my aid… had James not saved my life…”

Natalja shook her head. ”Steve, I know you would have done the same for him! And nothing could have stopped him from getting to you, that’s for sure.”

“So… there is only one problem, right?” Clinthiel asked. “How do we get James back?”

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When James woke he was surrounded by darkness and lying on the stony ground. Sharp basalt splinters had sliced up his clothes and pierced his skin and his mouth tasted like bile.

He tried to remember what had happened. The demon had pulled him along and when they had appeared at the gates of hell he had been thrown to the ground. The blood loss had made him dizzy. Four demonic guards appeared and they had put an iron collar with a chain around his neck. Then the large demon had dragged him through the gates by the chain and they had gone through many caves lit by fire and flowing lava until they reached a big hall with a giant throne inside. The demon had pulled his chain so James had stumbled inside.

“Ahhh, welcome. Welcome to our guest.” James then had seen the demon on the throne. It was a tall man with a blood red skull where his face should have been. His eyes glowed dangerously.

Someone grunted from behind James.  ”Kneel you scum.” And then something solid hit him in the back of his knees before he collapsed to the ground. His right hand scraped over the stony ground as he broke his fall.

“James, my spies have told me about you. I’m glad you followed my invitation and I’m honored your willing to be my guest.” The red skulled man had looked straight at him and begun to frown. “What is that, Shaytan?” he had spoken to the large demon holding his chain “You’re bringing me damaged goods? He looks half dead. You know I need him alive don’t you?”

 

 

The demon called Shaytan had knelt down and bowed his head immediately. “Yes master, I am sorry. He was wounded in battle.”

“So you fool have not thought about treating his injuries? He will be of no use if he dies!” The red faced demon raised his voice “Bring me Ose!”

There was some noise when a spotted Jaguar came into the cave. He strode towards the throne and bowed his head towards its occupant. The Jaguar had changed shape and a small man appeared still with his head lowered. ”You called for me, great Labolas?”

“Ose, please accompany young James here and treat his wounds. I don’t want him to bleed out before he can make himself useful.” The red-skulled demon, Labolas, gave his order. Ose had just nodded and taken the chain of James collar to pull him along, leaving the others behind.

James remembered they had gone to a smaller cave with many tubes and syringes inside. A big fire pit had illuminated the room. James had watched Ose carefully. As impressive as the jaguar had been, his human shape looked neither powerful nor had any of the cats grace. The demon was small and looked old. He had 2 small horns that pointed from his forehead. When Ose caught his gaze he had grinned and this had made James’s skin crawl.

Ose had gathered a big syringe and some other tools and then called for some help. The four demons from before appeared silently and James had been led to the cave he was now. Someone had lit a fire and the demons had forced him to his knees again. The chain from his collar had been pulled through an iron ring on the floor and was fastened there. His right hand had been cuffed behind his back and also secured to the floor with a chain. There even were shackles for his wing. They had sharp teeth that cut deep into the flesh right behind his bones to prevent his movements as they were fastened to the ground in the same manner as the others. Meanwhile Ose had put one of his tools inside the fire so the flat end of the long instrument soon had shone with a bright orange.

 

 

Ose grinned again as he took his syringe and stepped towards James. His fear must have shown somehow on James face when Ose spoke as he stepped behind him. “Oh boy, cauterizing your stumps will make sure you’ll not die on me when I examine you, but I’ll take a blood sample first. Just in case…” With these words he had pushed the syringe unceremoniously into James arm drawing blood.

James remembered the metal had been cool on his skin. His heart had begun to race when the demon had mentioned the treatment he had planned for his wounds. His brain had slowly caught up with the fact that he had lost two limbs somewhere along the way there but his body had not overcome the shock yet. He had tried very hard to steel his mind for the following procedure as Ose had pulled out the syringe. He tried to think about Steve and how happy they had been in the morning. But nothing could prepare him for the searing touch of the scorching metal as it was pressed to the stump of his arm. The shackles had held him securely in his position as he desperately tried to move away and he had heard a scream and only realized later that it must have been his own.

When Ose had pulled back the instrument James thought he was halfway through but he had been so wrong. Ose had repeated the procedure on his arm several times before switching to his wing. The smell of burned flesh and seared feathers had him vomiting twice throughout this treatment. The demon was almost finished when James brain finally had decided to shut down as he had been enveloped with blackness.

It was not easy to get up with his hand bound behind him but he managed on his third try. Small pieces of stone that had stuck to his skin fell down and created the only other sound next to his moaning. His muscles were stiff and his left shoulder hurt badly. He could still smell the odor of the cauterization and his stomach started to heave but he only retched. There was simply nothing left for him to regurgitate. The entire former content of his stomach was now on the ground and on his shirt; he must have fallen into his own puke.

He did not know how much time had passed since he had been taken. His thoughts wandered towards the battle and he wondered what had happened after he left when suddenly the dawning of his failure hit him full force. He had abandoned his squadron. They had relied on him as their leader and he had left them behind in such a delicate situation. A leaderless army was often enough doomed and plucked apart by the enemy and he had given the demons a great opening because of his selfishness. Maybe that was what the elders had meant after all. He would abandon his kin to fulfil a selfish need. Damn, what if they lost the battle and the demons were already body stripping his friends and all of that was his fault…

James shivered involuntarily. No, he could not think about them as dead. If he was the only one left… No! He shook his head, determined to stop that thought. He tried to lock away the desperate animal inside his heart that tried to claw free to wail and bathe in self-hatred. That would be no use to anyone. So instead, he moved his wing and his arm, testing his restraints. They were heavy and a tight fit. He would not be able to break them. He tried to form a dagger in his right palm next. But his arm had gone numb from the position that cut away his circulation so he could neither feel the energy nor move his fingers in the right way. He was totally defenseless for now. The missing arm and wing had disturbed his balance on the way here and he guessed that would go on for a while. Even if he could get free, this was the worst moment to attempt an escape. He needed a real plan before trying anything. If he could not escape right now, he had to find another way to help his friends if he saw them again.

Maybe he could gather some information. What was it the demons wanted from him? Why had they taken a blood sample? And why had they taken him? It would have been easier and unobtrusive to take some random soldier. But when he replayed the events in his head it looked like they had been clearly after him. Ose must be after more than tissue samples. Otherwise it would be useless to seal his wounds to keep him alive. A corpse was a huge single tissue sample after all.

Perhaps it was possible to get Ose to talk the next time he would come by. He wondered if it had to do with his anomalous black wings. The Elders had been sure he would be or at least become demonic. Lucifer had bonded with the demons in the end. Maybe they think I’m like him?

It took a long time until Ose had come back from his laboratories. He came with more instruments and took more samples from James: some hair and a feather were almost painless but the small part skin he cut from his leg, the bit of bone and the piece of liver he took with long needles had hurt. After stacking away his samples he started the questioning. James guess had been right. The first question was about his heritage. Why had he been born with black wings? What made him different? And was he opposed to the idea of becoming a second Lucifer?

He could not answer the first questions because he had no idea himself but he refused to talk about his destiny and what made him similar to the Fallen one. He feared two things, if he told them what he knew, he guesses he would not hold any more value to his captor and he was scared of what they could do with the information he gave them. He was scared for Steve, Natalja, Samuel and the all the others. As you could tell, Ose was not pleased with his answers.

“Boy, you really want to go the hard way? Glasya-Labolas needs your answers and I will not rest before I can give him what he wants. With your cooperation or without is not my decision and I truly don’t care. But I can promise you without your cooperation will be more fun for me.” Ose showed his teeth and licked them with his tongue.

He snapped his fingers and a stone pillar rose from the ground next to him. He emphasized his threat by spreading out a leather roll bag containing several knives, hooks, pliers, needles, saws and scissors as well as some James could not identify. Some of them were rusty and others had dark stains that made him cringe.

Ose tipped a finger to his mouth and slipped one pair of scissors from the bag. He came over to James and let the metal slide along the material of James shirt splitting the linen on his right arm behind his back and raising goose bumps on its way. “You know, it will be a real pleasure, to dig for an answer or two.” James barely saw the reflection of a blade before he felt wetness on his arm. A slim line of blood ran from the shallow cut Ose had made with the small knife hidden in his other hand. James felt his skin prickle all over, closed his eyes and let his mind wander to a bright valley in heaven where fate had shown him true happiness and when the blade broke skin again he felt warm sunlight on his face…  
  
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Steve stood with crossed arms and had his back to the table where the Vindiciare were sitting. The look on his face was unyielding and grim. They had debated for nearly 6 hours now and they were still not a step further in forming a plan. They had thrown around ideas and thoughts that were going round in circles until he had slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Fear caged his heart like a vice and every moment that passed without any action turned the lever a little further.

“I understand that you are frustrated Steve.” Natalja said after the long pause that had settled over them after Steve’s emotional outburst. “I believe you’re right when you think we’re not progressing at all. We need some constructive plan and we’re running out of time. Whatever they want with James, as far as I know him he’s not likely to cooperate freely. I think they’ll either find a way to break him or they’ll deem their efforts futile.” She paused for a moment making eye-contact with each member. Her gaze stopped at Steve’s quivering wings as she continued “In either case we need to hurry.”

Anthony was the only one not looking awkwardly on the table. “So we already figured a straight attack is not possible at the moment. Our troops are suffering from the battle and we’ll have to regroup them. It’s a dangerous situation. What if the demons attack again? A second wave of attack could be fatal. We can’t afford to start a counterattack right now. Maybe that is exactly what they want us to do? Luring us in for a preset trap after retreating so fast?”

“Anyway,” Natalja intervened, “It’s clear that it is not a good idea to attack directly and with troops because they would expect exactly that and any counterattack would come at the cost of our defense at the moment and we can’t risk that.” Approving murmur filled the room. Even Steve had nodded slightly. “And we don’t have time for rebuilding our strength before we make any move a slow infiltrating is out of the question too. That leaves us only one option. A small group has to make its move, get into hell unnoticed, extract James and get back without causing a riot. Maybe this way we can get some information about their next moves too.”

Samuel had some doubts. “But who will be charged with that mission? It sounds like a suicide mission, going into the lions den to get the bone out from under its paw. Who will-”

He was cut off by Steve, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ll go. I can’t sit here, doing nothing while James is under their control. I’ll go alone so I’ll make sure nobody notices me.”

Clinthiel shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous Steve. You are good at combat and in strategies but you’re pretty far from sneaky. And if they notice you, you won’t even be able to fight your way out of it because you’re alone. I say we send a small team and I say Natalja should take the lead because she is the sneakiest person I know. If you want to succeed, Steve, you’ll have to take her.”

“I’ll go without a second thought,” Natalja declared. She stood up and walked slowly towards Steve. “If you’ll have me, that is.” She said and in a low voice only for Steve’s ears she added “Please, let me look out for you and James.”

After a moment Steve nodded slightly and made another statement.  “Anthony and Clint will be needed here to ensure the regrouping of our defensive forces and Anthony will take the lead should something ensue from the previous attack while we’re gone.”

Finally Samuel rose to speak. “I think that’s a good plan. And I’d like to strengthen your special operation group from two up to three. I don’t think three people are more likely to be discovered than two but an additional pair of hands and eyes could be pretty useful.” Steve looked at him and nodded again.

“That’s settled then,” Anthony said and turned towards Steve. “That was the easy part, although we almost took a century to come up with it. But has anyone an idea how in the name of eternity you’ll get to hell? It’s not that we’ve got a map or something. If you can’t get there all this effort will be fruitless.”

Steve’s expression became stern. “I know someone who can tell us something about that.” The others looked confused. “Seeiah fought in the last great war and after he lost his love there was a time when he looked for revenge. I heard he tried to find a way how to get to hell. Maybe he found it.”

Anthony hummed and turned towards Clinthiel. “Alright, so you got that covered. Come on bowboy let’s head upstairs and get on with our new old job before the demon bastards try to attack again.” Both got up and left but not before hugging their fellows and wishing each other luck.

Stephaniel, Samuel and Natalja made their way over to talk to the Bruce. Steve prayed that he knew a way, because otherwise…but his heart refused to accept that this was possibly an option.  
  


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Glasya-Labolas strode through his throne room impatiently and waited for Ose to arrive. He had summoned his subordinate to hear about the progress of interrogation of the black winged boy. He longed for the power he would gain if he uncovered the angel’s secret. If the boy refused to talk he would not rest until he had torn it out of his lifeless body. Footsteps announced the approaching Ose and moments later he stood in front of his master, bowing obediently. “You sent for me, great Labolas. How can I serve you?” Ose asked.

“Well, you’ve had the boy in your laboratories for quite some time now. Has he confessed anything yet?” The count asked. Ose had every reason to be nervous. The Interrogation had not gone well. The damn boy had refused to provide any information about his heritage or about the power his wings had given him. He had tried to make him talk by using every trick of physical torture he knew and the only thing he had gotten out of him in the end was what his task had been among the Vindiciare and that he was crying and whimpering the name “Steve” whenever he seemed delirious.

Ose started carefully. “Master, he provided me with some information about his duty in their army. I have already passed that on to our troops. They can use that for our next attack. But he refuses to talk about his power or how he managed to gain the black wings and he withstood everything I tried so far. I had to heal him twice to prevent him from dying but he still won’t talk.” He paused for a moment and continued, head still bowed. “I analyzed the samples I took from him. His organs and hair are normal. But his blood and feathers show an anomaly. The feathers are thicker and his blood seems to contain not only blood but looks like it is thinned with another liquid I haven’t figured out yet. I distilled it from the sample I took. It looks like liquid silver and is thick and it seems like it is the conductor of his inner energy. He has more of this conducting liquid than he should have. I could not force him to create weapons or to show me the flow of his energy. I tried to inject the liquid to a demon but even the small amount I gave him burned through his flesh,” Ose concluded.

“Well, that’s not much Ose. I say I expected more from you. You know I want that information, don’t you?” Glasya-Labolas asked.

“Milord, I am truly sorry for that. I thought maybe you could help us with the interrogation? You are a master of twisting the mind and if he is not willing to give in to physical manipulation we can try to break him mentally.” It was a hope that his master would take on this task. Ose knew he loved to force himself into the minds of a victim to corrupt everything they know. Some forgot their beloved ones, some killed their children and some even became mindless golems who threw themselves to death should their master decide so. Ose hoped Glasya-Labolas would give in to this temptation because he himself had no further idea how to force the truth out of this boy.

“Ose, Ose, Ose.  Finally you start focusing on our great goal.” Ose exhaled with relief. His master was not known for his patience or forgiving heart. “I will indeed visit the boy myself and I will enjoy playing with his brain.” That said, Glasya-Labolas dismissed Ose, who retreated back to his laboratory. There was not much time left until the fulfilment of his plans. They planned to attack heaven within the next seven days and the capture of loverboy should provide enough distraction for the Vindiciare that Glasya-Labolas himself would triumph over them.

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James woke once more. His shoulders and his hip hurt a lot where giant nails penetrated his body and pinned him to the wall. Ose had him moved to this position after his last fruitless attempt to get something out of him. It was here where he had met the demon lord Glasya-Labolas again.

James shivered and the nails tore on his flesh. Every movement hurt but not as bad as it had hurt when the demon had sunken into his mind. He had tried to shift away and had thrashed in his bonds, his flesh ripping, but he could not get away from the invading presence. The demon had tried to crawl through his mind but James somehow had been able to hold him off. The doors stayed closed. But after that the demon had shown James how broken he really was, that he would die down here and the next attack would hit heaven pretty soon. Then it had felt like a dream. He dreamed Steve had come to save him but after they had returned and James had headed, Steve stopped visiting him. He had tried to talk to Steve and he had found out that Steve thought he was broken, that as the leader of the Vindiciare he did not want a cripple at his side. He could not fly and he could not fight, so he was useless now. Steve told him how his failure had caused the loss of many lives and that he had saved him out of pity, and now Steve would leave him there to go and live alone like Seeiah.

Then the dream had changed. Steve had a disgusted look when his eyes met with James’s. Steve had said he could not touch him like this, that he would never touch him again and that it would have been better if James had died. In another version of his dream Steve had come to rescue him but when he saw James’s mutilated body he had turned away and left him where he was. There was another dream where he had woken in Steve’s arms warm and safe but then Steve had woken up and James’s arm and wing was gone, only the stumps visible and Steve had pushed him out of his bed and had vomited on the floor with disgust. In the end the repeated pictures of Steve’s reaction had hit deep. Steve must know he lost two limbs. What worth lay in the saving of a cripple like him. He held no longer any value for the fighting units. He was useless. No one would come.

The demon lord had left him afterwards with the promise to return soon. James had fallen unconscious not long after, his brain exhausted after the attacks. It was impossible for him to say how much time had passed. Maybe he could make his body give out somehow so that he could die. He guessed this was his last chance, he was sure he could not defend the doors to his thoughts forever. At some point the demon would break through and leave his thoughts and knowledge bare. The weaknesses of his friends would be open to them. He knew too much and there was nothing he could do. The best would be if he died as quickly as possible, but Ose had not left anything near him that he could use as a weapon.

But then a thought lit up his mind. If he could use his energy to form weapons, maybe he could form a rope and strangle himself? A blade was out of question. His hands were secured to the wall. But a rope would lie around his throat and he could pull on it with his fingers.

James concentrated. His body was weak and his energy level was pretty low. Not much left for a lot of trying. His thoughts moved the energy inside him slow but constantly. He could feel a thin rope in his right hand and concentrated further. The rope extends slowly and began creeping up his arm. It was scratchy like real hemp and James hoped it was as sturdy too. After long exhausting moments the rope finally reached his neck. James panted hard, forcing every last bit of energy he had left into shape. The rope almost closed around his neck when he heard a rustling sound. Damnit, if they discovered him it would be obvious what he intended to do. But the process had been so straining that he would not be able to repeat it if he stopped now. His body shook from exertion. He had to go a little further before he could pull on the rope safely. But before he managed to weave a knot someone stumbled into the room and the intruder gasped as he turned towards James.

“James!”

James looked up and when he saw a pair of bright white wings, blond hair and his beloved’s face his concentration wavered and the rope disappeared. He blinked incredulously “Steve? Is that … Is that really you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve sneaked down a small staircase. Natalja and Samuel were secretly guarding the entrance and Steve perked up his ears for the warning signal that would announce the presence of demons. Samuel would kick a small rock down the stairs to warn Steve but nothing disrupted the silence yet. It had been hard to get this far deep down but from what they had learned by overhearing some guards they were on the right floor. They had passed a gruesome laboratory where a small demon clicked vials against one another and burned different substances in a bowl over fire. The thought of James being at the mercy of this creature had made his stomach turn violently. Their descending had gone quite unnoticed until that moment. They only had to eliminate two demons who were about to discover them before they could raise the alarm. But otherwise everything had gone almost too well.

Finally Steve reached the bottom of the stairs. He composed himself to follow the long corridor in front of him when he heard a little moan from behind. It had sounded very strained and if it had not been for the sound he would have missed the small opening in the wall behind the stairs. He went through the opening and followed a small steep hallway towards the noise. There was a light shining from fire at the end of the corridor and as he stepped into the adjoining room but he stumbled over a small rock on the floor. He caught himself and turned around towards the room and his breath got caught inside his lungs. The fire shone on a figure fixed on the wall. A figure with black wings and dark hair. A figure with only one arm and one wing. A figure that created a thin rope and tried to put it around its neck, with an obvious attempt to strangle itself. “James!” Steve gasped his name.

The figure on the wall looked up and the rope flickered and vanished. Steve looked right into the pained face of his love as he heard him say with a raspy voice “Steve? Is that … Is that really you?”

James looked horrible. His hair was glued to his forehead wet with sweat. His clothes were torn and littered with burning holes. He was crusted with dried blood and several cuts covered his body. The stump of his left arm looked burned and the way he held his body… Steve was shocked when he saw how James body had been fastened to the wall and his heart clenched painfully. He slowly walked up towards James, his hand rising up to caress James’s cheek softly. “Yeah, it’s me.” Steve whispered. “I’ve come for you. I’ll get you out of here.” Steve pressed a feather-light kiss on James temple. They had to figure out a way to get James down from the wall. He would need to pull out the nails but he needed leverage for that.

James shook his head slightly. “It won’t work this way. You have to pinch of the heads of the nails and pull me down. It’s quicker and easier and the nails will be pulled through me anyway.”

Steve looked not entirely convinced. If he had a say in this he would take the wall with him so that Seeiah could care for James and remove every piece carefully, causing as little damage as possible. But James was right. They had not enough time for something like that. Steve could not hear any warning that came from Natalja and Samuel down here especially nothing quiet like a crumbling rock. They needed to get James out of here quickly. James turned his head left and looked towards a pair of pliers on the floor. Steve refused to imagine the use of it when he took it and pinched at the first nail. The head came of with a satisfying crunch. The same procedure repeated and only the last nail was difficult for it had been hammered in deep and the head bit into James flesh at his right hip. Both Powers gritted their teeth as Steve forced the nail between his pliers. He set down the tool and came up to embrace James to pull him from the wall. He had endured everything with little to no noise until now but when Steve pulled him forward but Steve hissed as he bit into Steve’s shoulder and screamed into his flesh. He came down on shaky legs. It would be hard to flee this way.

“There is no use to it.” Steve said as he pulled James into his arms and lifted him up to carry him.

“You don’t hafta…” James mumbled but Steve only hummed and began to climb up the corridor. He had to watch for his steps to be as quiet as possible. James could not believe what had just happened. He was scared to wake from this daydream and from finding himself back on the wall. Steve was warm and the body contact almost made him forget the throbbing pain in his limbs and torso.

Somehow they reached Natalja and Samuel without any incidents. It was almost scary how smooth everything had gone. Samuel squeezed James good shoulder as they met and Natalja kissed his cheek.

“We’re glad to see you, James,” she said and gestured back along the direction they had come.

“She’s right. We really are,” said Samuel, who took position behind Steve to cover their rear. They managed to sneak past the foul smelling laboratory and even past the big doors of the throne room Natalja had peeked in on their way there. They crept a level higher but had to hide when they reached the top of the stairs because there were some guards on patrol. Steve almost started to believe they could get away without being caught.

As the four of them waited for the patrols to pass, the corpses of the demons they had to eliminate on their way down were discovered one level below. In the blink of an eye a deep howl resounded through the corridors all around. The sound became louder and louder and the moment the patrols heard it, they drew their weapons and stormed towards the stairs that was still occupied by Steve and his friends. Natalja killed them even before the surprise about the intruders had reached their faces. Their bodies slumped down and the four Powers left the staircase to head along towards the exit. But soon they were met with more guards who were on their way down to the source of the alarm. Thanks to fate Samuel and Natalja were with Steve. Had he been alone down there he wouldn’t have been able to fight while carrying James. Steve hated that he could not intervene but his companions made quick work of clearing their path.

 “We have to hurry,” said Steve, staying behind Natalja and Samuel to prevent getting in the way.  “I think I can hear footsteps behind us.” That was entirely true. They had still another level left before the high caverns followed and they could make use of their wings. If they reached that place they still had a chance to escape; if not, they would likely be doomed. They bolted upwards the next flight of stairs but it was difficult to fight in such close proximity. The falling demons threatened to clog their path and Steve had to watch out not to get tripped by the bodies sliding down past him.

But the more bodies went down the stairs the slower would any pursuer become. Steve hoped that this would impede the hunting demons for a moment while they rushed closer towards safety. The situation became hairy when they reached the top of the stairs. The demons had gathered there and it looked like they would never be able to get through the massive wall they formed.

But Natalja had a trick up her sleeve. She formed a big dagger that was attached to a rope and when she started to swing the rope around her head with quick movements the demons were forced to back away. Steve followed close behind her ducked under the rope while still holding James and Samuel took on the demons who tried to sneak up on them from behind. He had to look out to prevent being hit by Natalja’s blade but somehow they managed and moved down the hall, which led to the bigger caverns.

If you asked Steve afterwards how they managed to get out, he wouldn’t have an answer. He swore he didn’t know and that it was a miracle they managed to get out alive at all. It is a fact they reached the cavern and the moment the ceiling was high enough Steve swung into the air. Natalja and Samuel followed quickly and defended their retreat with arrows and throwing-knives.

But the open space also brought the disadvantage of long range weapons. While the Powers could use them now they were also the target of such attacks. Natalja did her best do defend the four of them while Samuel eliminated demon after demon from above. Steve was soon able to see the exit of the giant cave in the distance. “We’re almost there, hurry up!” he informed his friends as they steered towards the sunlight at the end. The closer they got to the exit the more demons emerged from the corridor they had fled and the more dicey their situation became.

Natalja was hit twice right before the four of them escaped out into the light. She was distracted by this for a few moments and Steve suffered from the hit of 2 arrows and one dagger that got stuck in his calf. Samuel got some hits himself but then they finally reached open terrain.

All three struggled to gain elevation as quickly as possible. When Steve saw the winged demons giving chase immediately, he managed with a miraculous effort to carry the weight of James with almost no loss in his natural speed. They had a lead and the demons could only race after the Powers without catching up. Still the clouds seemed so far away. Steve’s shoulder and wing muscles burned but nevertheless he did not slow down. Samuel kept an eye on their pursuers and Natalja was indeed wounded in her shoulder and arm but she held their speed anyway.

After an eternity they reached the edge of the clouds. And when they broke through their wet surface they were greeted by Clinthiel and his men. They had their bows taut and pointed behind their four friends, awaiting the demons. Steve greeted them with a smile and sped past them. He had to get James to Seeiah as quick as he could, leaving the archers to their task. Samuel must have stayed behind with them because the next moment Steve and Natalja were flying alone.

When they reached Seeiah’s place, Steve they landed quickly. James was slack in Steve’s arms, he must have lost consciousness somewhere along the way. It seemed like Seeiah had waited for them because he had his sleeves rolled up and his face did not even show a hint of astonishment. He gestured for Steve to lay James down on an elevated cot right in the middle of his cabin. Steve did as he was told and Seeiah nudged him towards a bench at the side. He sat down next to Natalja who had come in right after Steve and James and had taken a resting pose. Both Powers were breathing hard from their flight and the muscles in Steve’s back quivered and spasmed. It was only then that Steve notices that Natalja’s bleeding shoulder looked pretty severe. Seeiah came to the both of them and wanted to look at Natalja’s shoulder and Steve’s injured leg.

Natalja shook her head. “Take care of him first. It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said, and nodded towards the cot. Seeiah grumbled something about him being the experienced healer but stepped over towards James anyway to examine his condition.

The permanent loss of 2 limbs, 3 broken ribs, severe inner bleedings, cerebral concussion and the results of too quick magical healing… in short, it took some time until Seeiah had listed all of James injuries and treated him as best as he could. After fixing the most urgent ones he had taken care of Natalja’s shoulder. She had been lucky, he said. Had the arrow hit her a bit more to the right and with a little more force it would have shattered her shoulder blade. Seeiah fixed Steve’s leg and the two arrow wounds Steve had almost forgotten.  Tending to all three of them took some time, and while Natalja and Steve had been fixed, James had not woken up yet when Clinthiel and Samuel came into the room.

Both looked tired but pleased to see James lying at the cot. Seeiah turned towards Samuel to look at his wounds as well while Clinthiel told them the demons had retreated after the shooters had decimated their number. He and Anthony had everything prepared for their return and improved the guards at their borders. They had tried to arrange everything in case another big attack came and especially Anthony wanted to reduce the advantage of surprise for the demons drastically. He had chosen scouts and positioned them at strategically important places to be warned of everything unusual.

Clinthiel wanted to inform them about the measures they had taken when Seeiah who had finished Samuels treatment interrupted him. “You know, I think you should take that conversation some place else. James needs some rest.” Steve shot Seeiah a panicked look. “Steve you can stay if you’re quiet. I think James would like that. But the rest of you need to leave, please.” The others nodded. “Natalja, please come back later and I’ll change your bandages and look the wound again,” he said.

 “I will. Thank you Seeiah, for everything.” Seeiah hummed in appreciation of Natalja’s words and the red haired Power left the small hut together with the others.

Steve stayed at James’s side for the rest of the day and the entire night. He sat right next to the cot and held James hand, mumbling endearments the entire time. Seeiah woke him in the morning. Steve must have fallen asleep with his head on the cot next to James chest sometime during the night. His neck was stiff and his back sore from the position and the exertion from the day before.

James hand was very warm and Seeiah looked concerned as his hand checked the temperature on James forehead. “He is feverish,” he said calmly, but the look on his face contrasted the tone of his voice. Then he addressed Steve directly “Steve, you have to get some rest. Go home, get cleaned and rest for a bit. I’ll make some fever tea and cold compresses to get his temperature in control. You’re not helping him if you are totally exhausted yourself. I’ll call for you right away if he wakes or something happens.”

Steve’s heart was unwilling to go, especially because he had lost James so recently. But he knew Seeiah was right. And so he forced his protesting muscles to get up and thanked Seeiah for his help. After kissing James hot forehead and squeezing his hand Steve left the hut and went for his home with sagging shoulders to do what the Bruce had advised him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glasya-Labolas was enraged. He clamored while he paced around his throne room screaming at the remaining demons. Two dead bodies lay in the room where he had already slaughtered his subordinates out of fury. His outrage was so fierce; he changed quickly back and forth between his animal- and man-like forms without taking notice of it. His plans had been destroyed! And it sounded impossible. Three Powers had invaded HIS lands and stolen HIS captive. Three! Three for fucks sake! In the name of Satan this should have been impossible. And not just that they managed to invade his palace, but that they had gotten away with it!  
The giant winged dog had foam at the muzzle and darted for the demon that was unlucky enough to be standing close by, going for his throat. The lifeless body fell to the ground moments later as the demon lord changed back to human form as he shouted “Bring me Ose!” Two subordinates were left alive in the room and both darted away as quickly as they could to bring the scholar to their master.

Glasya-Labolas went on with his restless striding, mouth still smeared with blood. Ose stepped into the hall with careful steps, anxious of his master’s wrath. He bowed his head although his instincts told him not to make himself vulnerable in front of such a dangerous angry creature. He has known his master for several centuries and he knew not to irritate him by showing his fear. So he held himself like they were engaged in a normal encounter and as if the room didn’t contain three corpses. “You called for me, Master?” he asked politely.

The demon lord looked at him with wild eyes. “Ose!” he shouted “Tell me how could they invade your dungeon? They passed your laboratory, TWICE! How come you didn’t hear or see them?”

 Ose stayed down and kept his head bowed as he answered “Milord, I don’t know how they slipped past me. They are highly trained special forces, after all, and I am no warrior.” Glasya-Labolas responded to his explanation with an angry snort. “Yes they sneaked past my laboratory, but before that they passed several floors and guards as well. And they are trained to keep out intruders and secure our place unlike me. With all due respect your highness they even got past here and Your Lordship.” An uncomfortable silence started to stretch as Ose awaited a reaction from his master to his boldness. But nothing happened so he spoke up again “Milord, due to all the bad news, I have some good ones for you.” These words made the demon lord sit up. “I experimented with the silvery liquid I extracted from the boys blood. Injecting it in a demon resulted in sudden death but I found that the liquid absorbs vast amounts of energy. So if it comes into contact with an energy source it will suck up the energy and leave the source dead. That is quite interesting for you Milord. The Powers use weapons solely made out of energy and the liquid would absorb it as well, leaving them defenseless.” Ose had gotten more and more excited during his explanation.

“Well, Ose, that is quite interesting. Your research has not been a total disappointment then.”

Ose nodded. “Master there is not much of the liquid itself but it should be enough to coat at least three weapons with it. That could be a distinct advantage for you,” He concluded.

Glasya-Labolas gave a contented nod. “I will have my own weapon coated with it first. They shall suffer for fooling me and for crossing my plans. Let’s mobilize our troops and prepare to take revenge.” He paused a little and grinned maliciously as he added, “I think I’ll cut them down myself!”

 

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James woke up several times that day but only mumbled deliriously. Seeiah did not leave his side and changed the cold compresses right after they had gone warm. He had assumed James suffered from severe dehydration and given him as much water as he dared. James was covered in bandages next to the constantly changing compresses. Finally more than half the day later when the dusk began creeping over the clouds the fever broke. James lay calmly on the cot after Seeiah cleaned the sweat of his body.

Just before it got dark outside someone knocked on Seeiah’s door. It was Steve who looked a lot more like himself than in the morning when he had first arrived. He must have taken up on Seeiah’s advice because it appeared he had slept or at least rested well enough. Steve greeted the healer and stepped over to the cot and kissed James’s forehead gently. Then he asked “How’s he doing?”

Seeiah filled him in with everything he had done and concluded with a tired “I’m glad the fever broke not long ago. He’ll be able to rest now although he will still need to drink water every half hour.”

“Seeiah, I can’t thank you enough for this. You look pretty exhausted yourself, would it be alright if I looked after him? You could take some rest then.” Steve offered. The Bruce nodded and agreed to Steve’s offer. He showed him the water cup and left for his bed soon after.

Steve took a seat right at James side and laced their fingers together. Every now and then he filled the cup and pressed it lightly to the lips of his love returning right to his side afterwards. The moonlight was the only thing illuminating the room slightly. It must have been around midnight when James stirred. Steve looked at his face and James opened his eyes slowly. He blinked repeatedly before focusing on Steve “Stevie? Is that you?”

“Yeah, It’s me.” Steve answered with a little wetness in his eyes.

“Where… Where am I? How did I …?” James looked confused but tried to get up on his elbow.

“Hey, slow down a bit will you? You’re at Seeiah’s place. You had some fever after we arrived here yesterday morning.” Steve told him pushing him back down into the pillow with gentle force.

“How did I get here? I remember being … ahhh … pinned to a wall.”

Steve winced at that. “Yeah, we that is Natalja, Samuel and me went after you. We found you down there in the dungeons of hell and got you out there,” he explained.

 James blinked “You three,” James stated.  “You went there with three warriors. Three. You went to hell. Without an army. Are you outta your mind Steve?” The blond Power was speechless for a moment. Then he started to snicker and broke out in laughter that turned a little hysterical and he began to hyperventilate. “Stevie? Hey, calm down. I’m not mad at you.” James tried to calm him with a soothing voice and had grabbed Steve’s arm with his hand.

“Shit … James I … I thought I had lost you!”

“Oh Steve, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I … it was my fault that I got captured. I just can’t believe the risk you took. Please calm down for me, will you? Come here!” and with that James pulled Steve in by his wrist and close to his chest. Steve stood for a moment in an awkward crouch until he sank down to his knees throwing both arms around James to hug him close. If James had not been injured I’m sure the hug would have been brutal in its intensity.

“Oh my Stevie, I was sure I’d never see you again.” James whispered into Steve’s hair. It was then that Steve remembered the thin rope he had seen when he entered the room James was kept in.

He gasped. “You… you were trying to kill yourself, weren’t you? Right before I came in?”

James stared at the ceiling. “Yes I was. I didn’t know what to do anymore. They wanted some information I did not have and some I could not give away. I felt like …. like I … could not withstand them any longer. I could have caused you all up here some significant damage. And they did not believe that I know nothing about neither my wing color nor about a connection to Lucifer himself. And … they were not about to stop. I saw it in the head of this red faced monster. He forced himself into my mind and I felt his willpower. Nothing would stop him before he got that information. I felt like I had no choice if I wanted to protect you and that was the only option.”

Steve had moved his head to look in James face while he had spoken. Every word felt like a cut in his heart. He raised his hand and stroked James cheek while tears welled up again at his own eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to assume you’d… Please forgive me.”  Steve said gently. James put his right hand on Steve’s shoulder and pulled him in, pressing their mouths together in mutual absolution. At first it was just a gentle press of lips but then James’s tongue sneaked out and Steve granted him immediate access greeting him with his own. They reveled in the feeling of closeness after everything both men had gone through.

“Please stay with me Stevie.” James said as he tried to shuffle over in his cot. He turned on his uninjured right side and Steve got up to lie down beside him facing the other. They continued to share soft kisses and Steve caressed James left side lightly as they sank into sleep together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day came with a stormy wind. The Vindiciare were on their way towards Bruce’s hut. The wind made their movements uneven as they flew together. They headed there to meet with Steve and James. “You think James will have some helpful information?” Anthony wondered

“I really don’t know but anything could be useful at this point. I’m certain they will attack us soon. Especially after we took him back. They plainly won’t take this provocation and stand down that’s for sure. Maybe he knows something about the plan behind this. They must have had a reason to take him after all. The capture was no coincidence neither was the torture they inflicted on him.” Natalja did not look at him as she spoke.

They arrived at Seeiah’s place not long after. As they entered they were greeted by Seeiah himself who held a pot with some steaming liquid. “I expected you to show up,” was all he said as he beckoned them inside. James sat upright on his cot, legs and wing dangling over the edge. He was covered in bandages. Anthony faltered for a second as he saw the missing arm and wing. It was the first time he saw James since their meeting before the battle. The others had told him what had happened but it was different to see the impact himself. But he caught himself quickly as he entered the room further, where Seeiah had set up a small bench and three stools. The Vindiciare greeted James, hugging him one after the other. Natalja took her time and whispered something into his ear before finally letting go. Steve who stood behind the cot greeted them too before they sat down. Steve remained behind James and stepped closer to the cot embracing the raven winged angel from behind. James leaned back and both faced their visitors. Seeiah had gathered some cups and served them each a portion of the steaming liquid he had prepared before he took a seat himself.

They talked a lot that morning. Seeiah had refilled the pot twice with tea while James told them what had happened to him in hell. He told them about the samples Ose had taken from him and about the research he did. And he told them what he had seen when Glasya-Labolas invaded his mind. He was sure the demons would attack as soon as they could for his greater goal was to gain power and rank and defeating the infamous Vindiciare would grant him both. As he finished, Clinthiel spoke up to report about the rebuilding he and Anthony had done while the others were on their rescuing mission. They had restructured the defense lines and changed the initial strategy. Normally divisions specialized for close and long range fighting would fight separately. But they had mixed archers with sword fighters to prevent the attacker from adjusting to a fighting style. The defense became more versatile and harder to overcome. Anthony had chosen scouts who would observe their borders in shifts all the time so the warning would be early and fast.

They were in agreement that James could not take part in any fighting when the demons attacked as much as he might want to. He would refrain himself and stay behind while Natalja would take his warriors under her command for the time being. He would stay back at his and Steve’s place because every space in Seeiah’s hut would be needed for some freshly wounded Powers.

All of them had come to the conclusion they should calculate on an imminent surprise attack. They would be prepared to react as quick as possible should one of Anthony’s scouts raise the alarm. After drinking a last cup of tea Samuel, Anthony and Clinthiel left the hut to inspect the troops and to spread the instructions they had decided on. Natalja stayed behind to get her bandages changed. Powers heal quick and after Seeiah had removed the arrows two days ago and treated the wounds with a special salve the healing set in immediately. Seeiah changed her bandages quickly and then she was ready to accompany James and Steve who made for their place. The three Powers talked for a while until she excused herself to visit the brigade James had once commanded.

“You know, I’ll have to go for my troops as well, yeah?” Steve said.

James nodded. “I know. You have to and I think you should. They will be glad to see you’re back and I know just how motivating you can be.” He smiled at Steve and wanted to appear comforting. The blond Power leaned over to place a kiss on James’s temple.

“I’ll hurry and be back soon. Try to get some rest, I’ll join you after. Promise,” Steve whispered against his skin.

“I’m looking forward to it. And behave yourself.” James stole a quick kiss and waved Steve goodbye. He was still far from healed and the way to their place had been strenuous so he followed Steve’s suggestion and went to bed to take a nap. He was out not long after he lay down.

He woke when he heard Steve come home, blinking the sleep from his eyes. It was already dark outside so Steve must have been away for quite some time considering it had been noon when they arrived at home. “Hey Stevie. Successful meeting?” he greeted and smiled at his love. Steve just sighed and shook his head. James frowned. This was not their usual greeting even if one of them was stressed or in a bad mood. Steve never lost an opportunity to steal a kiss.

Steve walked around seemingly aimless when he spoke “James … James we need to talk.” The frown on James face deepened.

“Alright. What do you want to talk about, Steve?” he asked curiously. They probably wanted to sign him off his duty at the special unit. He could not fly anymore and fighting with one arm was out of the question too. He had feared for that decision but it was inevitable.

“I can’t be with you anymore!” Steve blurted and James face went blank.

“What?” He was confused.

“I can’t be with you any longer. I’m ending it. We’ll find you a place to stay, that won’t be a big problem.” Steve spoke as if everything was already settled.

“You’re serious? I mean that is no sick joke is it?” James confusion had not changed.

“No, James. I’m not joking. I’m actually pretty serious. What happened … it … changed too much.”

“You mean it changed me? Or your feelings towards me?” the tone in James’s voice showed his lack of understanding.

Steve’s hand ruffled his blond hair. “Yes. I mean no! I mean … kind of. I thought I lost you. I grieved you. I even went after you for the crazy chance to get you back and miraculously it worked. But I wanted YOU! As you were. Not like…”

Before he could continue James disrupted him now with growing anger . ”You mean like this? As a cripple?” he asked and gestured for his left side. Steve remained silent. ”I didn’t ask for this. But I tried to protect you. And I would give my other arm if it would save you again.” James voice broke.

 “That’s nice and all but I can’t be together with you. We can stay friends…I guess we’ll work that out but I can’t be intimate with you anymore. It’s even hard to just look at you now.”

James was shocked. “You what?”

“I can’t look at you. The pruney scars are not attractive you know? And the way you hung there. I won’t be able to forget it. I can smell that place when I’m near you even though you’re cleaned up. Everything reeked of blood and shit there. Damn you had even wetted yourself and I had to carry you!” That left James speechless. “I want to keep us in mind as we were and think about it as if you did not come back. Someone else did. And I want to treat you as this other person. I can’t go back to what we had. We were friends before. So we can be friends after, right?” Steve wrung his hands while James stayed silent. “There’s another thing. I am the leader of the Vindiciare. I’m expected to be a strong and powerful leader. I can’t be that if I’m with you. You will be disabled for the rest of your life. You will need help to get through the day and I can’t provide that. I can’t nurse you for the rest of my life. You are a burden from now on, and I won’t burden myself with it.”

James head hurt. His hand went to his temple. The room started to spin. Steve went on with his speech but the rush of his own blood in his ears had become so loud James only got some words. “… disgrace for us… couldn’t show myself … disability … crippled …” The world around James was spinning faster and faster. He closed his eyes but felt dizzy anyway.

The moment he threw up in his dream was the moment he woke up. He was sweaty and he could taste acrid bile in his mouth. He was sitting upright seconds later and he had problems with orientation when he did not recognize the room at first. The sun had not set and still shined into the room. He slowly grasped what happened. All of it had been a dream. But what a dream. He could still feel the rejection. The hurt he had felt when Steve called him broken. The disgusted look on Steve’s face and the feeling of loosing what truly mattered to him. He shivered.

He thought about the stuff dream-Steve had said. The more often he replayed it in his head the more convincing it sounded. He was definitely not able to fight anymore. The two missing limbs were too big a handicap. Flying was out of the question as well. And dream-Steve was right that he represented the strength of their whole unit. An invalid partner at his side made him look a lot weaker. And then… there was the thing about attraction. He had seen his marred skin at Seeiah’s. The scarring will be equally ugly. No wonder if Steve would be disgusted to see let alone touch this. All he was left now was half a man. No more flying together with Steve. No protection he could offer. No partner, just a burden for Steve to carry.

James was so deep in his thoughts that he did not hear Steve coming back. Steve stood suddenly at the entrance to their sleeping room. _Here it comes_ James thought, expecting a déjà vu of his dream.

“James?” Steve asked “You look … What happened?”

James tried to sound ordinary “Nothing. Had a weird dream, that’s all.”

Steve came over to kiss him hello. “James, you’re all sweaty. And cold,” he said. “Let me get you cleaned up, yeah?” but the question was clearly rhetorical because Steve already stood up to gather a bowl of fresh water and a cloth together with some water to drink. James sat in their bed unresponsive until Steve came back. “Here.” Steve sat down at the edge of the bed passing the drink and lifting the wet cloth “Can I?” he asked.

James nodded. Steve put the wet cloth at James’s forehead, wiping away the thin film of sweat. The cloth was cool and soft against his skin. Steve rinsed the cloth and wrung it out before sliding it over James’s cheeks and chin, his eyelids, nose and his lips. When he lifted the cloth away James had his eyes still closed so he did not see Steve leaning closer. Only when he felt Steve’s soft lips against his own did his intentions became evident. It was just a gentle press of lips. The cloth touched his neck and the unexpected sensation tore a small gasp from him. Steve seemed happy about the opening of his lips for he tried to coax James to open up further, inviting his tongue to dance. As always James was neither able nor willing to resist. They kissed while Steve cleaned his neck carefully. As Steve seemed done with his neck he broke the kiss for am moment and asked. “Can you remove this?” pinching the dark shirt James wore and tugging on it lightly.

James stiffened. “I don’t think … I don’t think I should.” Steve would be forced to see his bandaged wounds. This would remind him of his handicap and he would certainly send James away.

“But you’re all sweaty beneath.” Steve said.

“I don’t mind,” James dodged.

“You should, it’s cold and you will surely freeze,” Steve reasoned.

“I don’t mind that either,” said James stubbornly.

“But I do,” Steve countered, smiling at him. “I mind. I want to keep you all cozy and warm and that won’t work if you don’t take of the shirt.”

James hesitated. “I’d like that. But Steve, there isn’t anything pretty underneath that shirt.”

“Hey, … hey, I’ve already seen the wounds, you know? And I have to object. I know exactly what lies underneath that shirt and I can tell you even the thought excites me.” Steve’s voice had gone low.

“It’s nothing like before, you know that.” James argued but shivered at Steve’s voice.

“Take of your shirt. I’ll prove you just how much I don’t care.” Steve whispered directly into James ear and began nibbling from shell to lobe. He hummed happily when James fingers finally lifted the hem of the shirt. “You want help with that?” Steve asked. He trusted James to know his boundaries and to express himself. Undressing with one arm would normally be no big deal but the bandages and wounds made it a delicate thing.

James nodded “Yeah, I think that would be good.” Steve put the cloth away and his fingers slid around James’s waist. He caressed damp skin on his way to the hem and began lifting it carefully. He gently pulled it over James’s head and was attentive not to put pressure on either of his wounds.

“There you go.” Steve murmured as he reached for the wet cloth again. He slid it upwards James’s right arm over the shoulder and down his collarbone leaving goose bumps along the way. Steve leaned over and tried to follow the path of wetness his hand left behind with his lips. When he reached James’s collarbone he let his tongue slip out and taste soft skin. He nibbled and sucked at the notch between the bones and dipped his tongue inside. James was left speechless. The caress excited him but made him feel vulnerable at the same time. He had needed to be strong in the past withstanding physical and mental abuse. But Steve had stripped him of his shielding shirt and now he bared his throat in a submissive manner. He was still hesitant about giving up his control, about giving in to temptation and handing over responsibility.

“You’re still tense.” Steve breathed against his skin.

 “I’m wondering … you still want me? Like this?” James asked, scared of the answer. But the question was inevitable and he’d rather know Steve’s position right now than to wait unsure where they stood. Steve stopped his caress and looked James in the eyes. James braced himself for the worst as Steve spoke.

“I want you in any way and shape I can have you. I love you. I love you with one or two arms, blind or deaf, with or without your wings. And I want you too. More than you can imagine.” Saying this Steve took James hand and put it in his lap. James could feel Steve was hard and that he pulsed with the touch. “See, I’m no liar. I want you. A lot. If you will have me.” A loving look accompanied his words.

James was speechless. He wondered for a moment how he could believe even for a second that Steve would reject him. If he were not already head over heels in love he would fall for Steve instantly. That thought broke his stupor. James leaned forward pressing his lips towards Steve’s in little nips. He spoke between each kiss. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I … want … you … too! Please … Stevie!” His hand had meanwhile taken over to massage Steve’s erection through his pants.

Steve murmured “As you wish.” into James ear and continued licking and kissing at his neck. The vulnerable feeling came back as Steve started sucking at the thin skin over James’s Adam’s apple. “I want to taste you.” Steve stated as he slid down on the floor in front of their bed. Especially the wing wound dictated their position. James could not lie down on his back but he could sit on the edge and lean back on his right hand if he wished. Steve tugged at James’s pants as he slid over to place his feet on the floor bracketing Steve. Steve leaned to the left nuzzling James’s knee and caressing it with closed lips. He sucked a bruise on the skin right over the knee and inched upwards his thigh. Right before he reached the hardness in James’s groin he stopped and changed to reciprocate his caress on the other leg. This time he did not stop but ended with a long bold lick on James’s hard hot flesh. Steve kissed the head and began covering his balls with licks, sucking one into his mouth. James moaned loudly and leaned back, supporting his weight with his hand. Steve laved at his balls thoroughly and took his time coaxing sounds from James who panted and whined from his ministrations. Steve shifted back to James’s erection, kissing the head again as his hand played with the parts his mouth did not occupy. He sucked James into his mouth and slid his lips over the shaft again and again. James mouth hung open, eyes fixed on Steve. Steve let the hardness slip from his mouth as he said “Turn around. I want to taste more of you.”

“Stevie … Yes please!” was all James said before he turned and settled on the bed on his knees, Steve followed him sliding into bed behind him pressing his front to James back entirely carefully avoiding the stump. He gripped for James hardness as he pressed his own between James cheeks. He had tugged his pants below his balls so pre-cum smeared all over James buttocks. He gently bit into James’s neck while his hand pumped lazily. James pelvis twitched trapped between Steve’s hand and his cock and he moaned loudly. Steve began kissing down his spine playfully, biting in James’s round bottom when he reached it. He used one hand to spread James apart while the other kept pumping teasingly slow. James had leaned forward supporting himself with his arm. When the first wet lick met James’s sphincter, he cried out in surprise. Steve did not hesitate and licked again and again over that ring of muscle. He felt James pulse with every lick and began playing around with his tongue when he followed the round little shape with the tip of his tongue and changed abruptly to a broad lick with the flat of his tongue.

Steve was fascinated with James’s reaction. He could be pretty cocky during their intimacy sometimes but now he seemed like he could only moan and whimper. Steve wanted to make James feel good. He wanted to give him a moment where he could forget what happened let himself be loved and taken care of. Steve wanted to show him no injury could lessen his love and want for James and really prove what he had said before. Steve licked again and again probing the muscle in between and slowly sliding through the first barrier. Steve was on all fours and his cock oozed pre cum that dripped down into the sheets in long thin threads. Licking at such an intimate spot turned him on so much but this was about James. He could deal with his own erection later. When his tongue slid past the second ring of muscles he moaned into James skin. That was the moment he changed his intention from riling James up to bringing him over the edge. His hand sped up the pumping on James’s cock and his tongue slid in and out of James again and again. James did not last long. He came moaning with Steve’s name on his lips and his tongue inside his body. Steve stroked him through it and tried to gather James cum with his hand. When James collapsed onto his stomach Steve got on his knees and smeared James’s cum all over his own cock jerking himself. He pressed his cock between James cheeks and slit the wet tip over the spit wet muscle nudging playfully. A few more strokes and he came with a sigh all over James’s butt. When his breathing slowed down again he took his time cleaning James up with his tongue and probing teasingly every now and then. Steve lay down next to James and James inched closer until they were pressed together kissing lazily and drifting to sleep.

It took another whole day for the scouts to detect something unusual. The bugles were blown immediately and the Powers got ready for battle in record time even though dawn had barely begun brushing its colors over the sky. Steve almost jumped out of bed as he woke from the signal. James was half out of bed too when he realized he would not be fighting. It was easy to forget that he had two limbs less than anybody else when he had spent his whole life with these missing parts still attached. He would spend the battle here. In their place. Hoping for the right outcome. Even the thought felt horrible. Knowing Steve would be risking his life while he sat here … this lay beyond his imagination.

Meanwhile Steve was ready to bolt outside. James stood in front of their bed and looked at Steve who rushed towards him. Steve hugged him so tightly that he could not breathe properly. But that was not important right now because their mouths found their significant other and they shared a deep and needy kiss. Steve broke the kiss far too soon and rested his forehead against James’s. “I love you.” He breathed.

“I love you too.” James breathed back. And after a last press of lips Steve left for the battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Steve met the other Vindiciare their troops had almost completely gathered. Natalja informed Steve about what the scouts had reported. The attack seemed to approach even quicker than the last time which was no surprise. The demons knew the Powers were on high alert. Their formation was pretty similar but one thing was odd. They were lead by Glasya-Labolas himself! This had surprised even the long-serving warriors. The princes of hell never fought themselves. They instructed their generals but did not take part in the slaughtering. Even Lucifer, who had fought countless times when he had not fallen yet, had stopped taking part in them after he had fallen from grace and defected to the enemy. He had never been seen on a battlefield afterwards.

But as it seemed the red-skulled demon had other plans. The report said he had taken the shape of a horse sized winged dog and was actually leading his troops. They had to be close, Steve thought as he rushed to his men while Samuel, Natalja and Clinthiel did the same. Anthony was already at his planed position and as soon as the Vindiciare took lead of their troops they left to play out their planned strategy. Steve’s division would take on the first attack. They would move backwards, luring the enemy into a prepared trap. They had decided about this change in strategy even before their secret invasion of hell.

Moments after Steve reached his division and adjusted their formation the attackers came into view. It became clear that they had not been the only ones who raised the number of warriors. The sky was almost black from the sheer number of invaders. The sight forced Steve’s hackles to rise. He was glad James was safely at home. He called out to his men and women who were apparently as intimidated as Steve if the murmuring behind him was anything to go by. “Stand in line. Remember, we are warriors, we are here to fight. We were all trained for this and we are not alone!” Steve shouted. A big shape came into view that flew in front of the oncoming black heaving mass: the demon lord directing his army straight towards Steve’s squadron. “Draw your weapon and brace for the impact!” Steve ordered as single shapes separated from the approaching demon host. The demon lord stopped his own flight and ordered his troops to attack soaring above the Powers on the clouds. The sound of the two armies clashing against each other was horrible. Metallic and energetic weapons that met, the demons roared and orders were yelled all around.

James stood in front of the entrance to their home and held his breath. The sound of battle blew across the distance towards him and he felt extremely helpless, as he had to watch his lover leading thousands of warriors into a battle he had partly caused. He knew Steve was an excellent fighter but James’s heart dropped anyway as he watched something he could not change. Instead of standing next to Steve and looking out for him he had to stay behind and wait. His wing twitched nervously. He watched in horror because the demons outnumbered Steve and his squadron easily. He saw them retreat slowly even before the whole demon army had landed. It looked like the demons were pushing the defending army ahead.

Suddenly, something changed. The sounds that carried over became screams of terror when Steve’s squadron stopped moving backwards. Demons disappeared randomly everywhere around the battlefield. They were swallowed by the clouds underneath. In that moment of bedevilment a battle cry sounded around the area. Samuel’s troops closed in from behind the enemy and engaged in battle with the rearguard first. They had successfully created a second frontline. James sighed. This was a tough situation for any army. The fighting Power could not concentrate towards one direction and a retreat became almost impossible.

But a retreat didn’t seem likely. The moment of confusion did not last long. They had figured out they were attacked from below by probably Natalja’s squadron and they put more distance between them to move more freely and to counter some of the attacks. Steve’s troops began retreating again as the demons kept pushing them further. Slowly they got to safer grounds and then something remarkable happened. The giant demon dog that had been flying above the battlefield all the time yelling orders and giving directions landed in a circling motion on the left front side. It began storming towards the nearby Powers like a whirlwind and they fell under its attack. But soon after that something happened. The giant wild dog disappeared, leaving a big man behind. His head was blood red. This was the demon that had forced himself into James mind. James could still feel the acrid touch and a cold shiver ran down his spine. The demon lord drew a giant two-handed sword. It looked odd because the blade was night-black. He swung it over his head and then he attacked. James frowned. The first strike of the sword made the Powers in front of the big demon drop their weapons. The second strike mowed them down. Another strike and the weapons of Steve’s warriors disappeared again. The red faced demon stepped forwards slowly swinging his blade and he hacked his way through the angels.

James was certain they did not put down their weapons voluntarily. Maybe the demon used his power and forced them to give up. But if that were the case, he could have done that without striking or without any contact. And he would need to invade more than one mind at the same time. It must be the sword. The black blade shone in the sunlight with every movement.

Black.

Just like his wings.

James gasped. Could it be…? No it sounded ridiculous. But he had heard that Ose talked about a power he assumed James capable of. Ose and his master both wanted to know what was special about him. James had thought them to be crazy. He had no special power. At least that was what he believed. But maybe, they had found something … Even the thought felt insane.

But as well as the battle had gone until now, the berserk red faced demon was raising fear among the Powers. The more he pushed forward, leaving corpses behind, the more the Powers retreated, even tried to flee. It looked like he was unstoppable. This would become a disaster quickly. They had to do something. There had to be a thing they could do.

The moment he recognized it felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart and twisted the blade around. “No!” James shouted involuntarily. He had spotted Steve who was walking through the fleeing Powers towards the demon, his shield in one hand and his sword in his other. “No! Steve!” There was no chance he could be heard. The battlefield was too far away, to say nothing of the noise. He would be forced to watch him die, cut down like all the others. He realized he was moving as he felt the wind on his skin. He stumbled down the hill of clouds his wing flapping helplessly and watched in horror while the demon lunged for a mighty strike. The sword sped downwards while James was still much too far away and his heart almost stopped.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve knew something was wrong when he saw the first of his warriors stumbling past him. They were running from something. Soon more and more Powers passed their leader in flight. Steve made his way to the place the others ran from when the source of their fear came to his view. A tall red headed demon swung a huge black sword at the Powers in front of him. And their weapons disappeared as soon as they touched the sword. The next strike hit the warriors before they had reformed any weapon. Steve gasped. Someone had to stop this monster before his whole unit started to flee. “Stand your ground!” he shouted. He needed to motivate his soldiers to keep fighting while he thought feverishly about a way how he could take on this mighty enemy.

He stepped forward to face the red-skulled demon both sword and shield at hand. “Oh, what an honor. The leader of the Vindiciare himself.” Steve did not answer and tried to toughen the edge of his blade should the demon strike suddenly. “I heard you paid me a visit yourself down in the underworld. Fetched up your little pet. Let me ask, are you still fond of the bastard or is he to broken for your taste now? You still take pleasure in fucking a broken little cripple?” The demon taunted. Steve gritted his teeth. He knew the demon wanted him to attack and the words should provoke just that. He would not take the bait but the words hurt nonetheless. He was glad to know James was safely away from this monster now.

“Not very keen to talk are you? James was different. He talked a lot especially after I had him poked with red-hot metal.” That was when the strike came. Steve was forced to parry it with his sword. He pushed his blade forwards but the second his sword met the black demonic blade it felt like it was sucked from his hand. And even his shield had disappeared along with his weapon. But Steve had expected just that. He moved very fast, concentrated his energy and held his shield again, ready for the next strike. The demon grinned at him showing off his pointy teeth. He turned left bringing his heavy sword back to movement. The creature must be unbelievably strong, wielding a sword this big and heavy in such fast motions. “You won’t stand a chance against me, Stevie!”

Steve shivered at these words but had to watch out because the sword came towards him again. He yanked up his shield and it blocked the blade before it was sucked from his hands once again. The pulling feeling made sense since the black blade did not only destroy his weapons it sucked away his energy. Three or four of these attacks and he would be out of energy, unable to fight and totally vulnerable. He frantically searched for a plan. Something to defend himself with, some idea how he could overpower the demon. If he did not come up with something soon, he feared they would lose the entire battle. He shielded himself again as he came to the conclusion that they had to push the demons back with all force if they wanted to stand a chance. He whistled twice and gave the signal for Clinthiel to intervene with his squad.

The archer took his position under their feet and the first arrow hit a demon right in the left eye as Steve’s shield was absorbed again. All the archers shot from beneath their feet right through the cloud. This part had been hard to figure out. Anthony had come up with the idea, the difficult thing was to manipulate the cloud in a way that arrows would pierce it but not mar their solid standing ground. A Power stepping in an invisible hole would be a disaster. So he needed to make the cloud solid to walk on but porous enough to shoot through. The counterattack confused most of the attacking demons but not the red skulled creature Steve battled. Once again he held his shield which was hard to maintain. He had to use a lot of concentration to keep it up.

“You know, your boy would make a nice pet for me too don’t you think? I think I’ll get him after I’m finished with you and take him with me. As well as the survivors I guess. Maybe I can convince them of the benefits of the underworld.” Steve felt a presence in his mind while the demon spoke. He saw scenes flashing by briefly: Natalja dead, Samuel in chains, James back in the horrible laboratory strapped to a table, lots and lots of his former classmates and friends slaving among demons, hellish hordes taking over every known realm possessing humans, spreading murder, hatred and despair. He was shocked about how the future looked. It would be his fault. His failure. His responsibility. These thoughts messed with his concentration. His shield was half transparent by now so it was little wonder that the demon used this moment for his attack.

He had placed the right thoughts, the demon thought, pleased with himself. The black sword cut through Steve’s shield almost unbridled. The shield disappeared and the blade hit Steve on his forearm. He stumbled back, blood dripping from his left hand. The cut went from his wrist to his elbow. That was it, he could not from another shield. And a blade was useless. The demon raised his sword above his head with both hands ready to strike. Steve braced for the cut and closed his eyes awaiting his fate. But the pain never came. Instead he heard screeching metal. He opened his eyes and saw James in front of him protectively, a shield on his right forearm. The black blade scratched over the shield as the demon pushed it down full force. Steve stared as James was pushed down bending his knees.

“Now, Steve!” James groaned and Steve just reacted. He concentrated all the energy left in him to form his sword and as soon as he felt the hilt in his hand he bolted forward and jabbed out. His sword had pierced the demons torso right between his ribs under his armpit. Steve’s blade ran right through him and everything seemed to slow down.

The red-skulled demon let his blade slip and fell to his knees. Steve’s sword vanished and blood stained the demon’s tunic, creating quickly blooming shapes. When the demon army recognized their master’s death they started to flee. Most of them fled head over heels running, fluttering and stumbling away while others were overpowered quickly by their remaining forces.

Steve stood there next to the corpse of the demon lord and looked at James. James smiled slightly. “Can’t leave you alone, can I?” James said lightly and Steve moved forwards to pull him in a crushing hug.

“Oh my. I love you James. You saved me! You saved us all!“ Steve mumbled against James neck.

“Nah. I just had your back, that’s what I do. Always will. Besides, you’re crushing me!” Steve laughed at that and when he released James he was pulled forward in a filthy kiss.

They heard someone clearing their throat and when they looked for their company they saw Natalja and Samuel looking exhausted but happy. Right after Anthony and Clinthiel appeared looking worn out too. They had found each other again!

The euphoria of winning wore off not long after that. They had many deaths to mourn and even more casualties to treat. The whole battle involved heavy losses but every Power knew what they were fighting for. Their duty was to defend, to protect. And after death their beings would return to unify with the power of the universe once again. But the surviving warriors had to rebuild their army getting ready for the next battle that was to come, for they were all following their duty.

James, Steve, Natalja, Samuel, Anthony and Clinthiel who stood huddled together now would all face the unknown future. But they would face it together.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Epilogue**

 

 

The sun shone brightly through the clouds. Young Powers played around with each other, recruits trained and Seeiah sat in front of his hut watching when every now and then someone came in sight of his lonely hut. He did not like meeting and talking with others all the time but he liked to watch them enjoying themselves and cherishing their lives.

A whole year had gone by after the great battle and their triumph over the red skulled demon Glasya-Labolas and his armies. And the year had been filled with the peace they all deserved. Seeiah was only needed to treat training wounds and everyone had time to learn about the good things in life again. Wounds had long since healed or scarred over, the mourning of friends had changed to loving remembrance and endearing anecdotes. Life went on and they managed. Simple as that.

Seeiah shielded his eyes with his hand as he looked into the light when he saw a shadow among the clouds too big for one person. His lips curled upwards as he realized who that was. Steve and James were flying together. James was holding onto Steve who carried them both through the clouds. The white arm at James left side reflected the sunlight and shined brightly. Anthony loved to play around with forming things from clouds but the one thing he loved more was a true challenge of his abilities. So he had tried and tested for a long, long time until he had finally presented James with a tripartite arm-like shape he had created and declared solemnly he made a substitute for James’s missing arm. As unbelievable as it sounded, the thing worked somehow. James learned to attach it to his stump using his inner force and control it the same way. The artificial joints moved when he wanted them to move. After seeing that this was possible Anthony had improved the artificial limb over and over. He added joints for knuckles and James was able to grip something. The movement was neither as smooth nor as fast or precise as a real hand. The feeling in his artificial hand was dull and more like pressure than like a real sense of touch but it was helpful in many situations. Anthony created more of these substitutes for others who suffered from mutilation and improved their quality of living a lot. James was not able to fight in active duty but he had taken over teaching about his fighting style and about varying and combining combat styles. The recruits adored his lessons and it had actually improved the flexibility of the fighting squads.

Not everything was perfect, but life never is. Natalja and Samuel still danced around each other and had not gone further than heavy flirting yet. But Seeiah was certain; it would be just a question of time. He had known Steve and James were destined to be with each alter all. He had an eye for these things.

Seeiah sat on a bench in front of his hut, smiling. Steve and James soared through the sky together. They had won the battle, but the war was not over. It would never be. But even the sun could not foresee the future. However, that didn’t matter. They would deal with the things to come like generations before them had. And meanwhile they would make the best of the here and now.

~~~ END ~~~

*The birth of Powers is not comparable to humans. There is a place in heaven called Principium which is a valley in the clouds where streams of energy gather due to a strong electromagnetic field. If a thunderstorm appears under the Principium Sprites shoot upwards from the clouds into the gathered energy. This is the moment where Powers are born from overcharging energy. They wake up lying on the clouds looking like 9 to 10 year old human children. They already have some basic knowledge about who they are, how to talk and how to interact with others. This knowledge comes from the energy itself. During their later training they grow up further while they build their strength and refine their skills.

The gates of the Principium are watched by Guards who tell the newborn Powers where to go and find others of their kind spread all over heaven. The newborns are assigned a direction and a place where they should head to live and where they will learn about their duties and skills. When they arrive at their destination they are usually integrated into a working society.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, it's done! My first Big Bang and my very first fanfic ever! I can't believe I've written over 30.000 words.
> 
> I hope you had fun while reading it and I would be amazed it if you left a comment.  
> Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
> 
> It was an amazing experience and thank you a lot for reading.
> 
> You can find our tumblr's here:  
> [Me](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/planefighter) and  
> [My amazing artist](https://crow-sizna.tumblr.com/)


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